What a fun book to read! Rooting for Edgar all the way. ( )

First Line: “… If I could tell you one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head”

Edgar Mint is a half Native American, half white child. His father abandoned his mother before Edgar was born. His mother, an alcoholic, deserts Edgar after his accident while he is recovering in the hospital.

Because, although grievously injured, after three months in a coma, Edgar recovers, although he is unable to write. He is sent to an Indian orphanage where he is ignored by the adults and abused by the other, full-blooded Indians.

He is periodically approached by the megalomaniac doctor who saved his life, and who has since been dismissed by the hospital, lost his license and become a drug dealer.

Two Mormon missionaries befriend Edgar and eventually get him placed into a Mormon foster home. Although idyllic on the surface, there are dark currents underneath.

Throughout it all, Edgar undergoes continual abuse and yet maintains his core, moral self. He believes his purpose in life is to find the mailman who ran over him and let him know that he is alive.

This is a very strange novel. I enjoyed the complexities of the quirky characters, most who have both good and bad aspects, but the Native Americans seem to tip toward the dark side. Was there a decent Indian in the entire story? The friend that Edgar cherished at the boarding school was Indian, but it calls to mind the saying from the Indian wars exterminations that “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.”

I did not read closely enough before choosing this book, and thought the author was a Native American. Instead, he is white and Mormon (which definitely informs the story). Nor did I realize that I had previously read one of Udall’s books, [The Lonely Polygamist]. ( )

Loved this book. Great main character and loved the side characters. No one has a great life but there is hope. ( )

With an opening line like this - 'If I could tell you one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head,' you were quickly drawn into this endearing tale. Despite the unlikelihood of surviving such an event, this book is captivating. After three months in a coma, Edgar wakes to find himself in a ward with other very damaged individuals and there he remains for close on two years. His only visitor, the Dr who resuscitated him, has since been dismissed. He is eventually transferred to a boarding school for Native Americans. The one major effect of the accident is Edgar has lost the ability to write. He can read but the words won't translate to the written page, so he is supplied with a typewriter. Arriving at the Willie Sherman boarding school armed with his typewriter and wearing a protective helmet he soon becomes the victim of bullies. He maintains contact with one of the other members of the hospital ward, who has his own demons. After surviving two years there, he is offered a home with a Mormon family. He thinks he has landed in his perfect life, feeling loved and cared for, for the first time. However, his past soon impacts on this happy episode and Edgar decides to pursue his quest of finding the mailman, to let him know he is okay, he did survive.
This is a lengthy but heart-warming story peppered with eccentric, flawed characters. ( )

Did not like this book at all. The last chapter was well written, maybe cause I finally got thru it! ( )