A poignant sequel to Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven. The Next Person You Meet In Heaven completely lived up to the first book. I love the way it takes off from the last story while reinventing the wheel. I gave this book a rating of 4-stars, keep reading to see why.
In The Five People You Meet In Heaven, we met Eddie. He was a maintenance man for an amusement park who dies trying to save a little girl from a park-related accident. In The Next Person You Meet In Heaven, we meet Annie. The little girl who Eddie saved that day and has now come to heaven herself. Annie's story is so different from Eddies, delving into her challenging childhood, life as a young woman, and her marriage. Her story is incredibly relatable, human, and sure to touch your heart.
There is always a lesson in Albom's books. This time, the theme was the importance and impact of human connectivity. I love this thought, that we have an impact on others beyond what we can see or understand. Through Annie's story, Albom also breaks down the concept of mistakes. Annie's chapters are often titled Annie Makes A Mistake. What we learn as we go through the book is that what Annie perceives as a mistake, was in fact meant to happen or had consequences beyond her knowledge. This is a powerful change in perspective for those of us that self criticize. That the mistakes we make may, in fact, be crucial to other events taking place.
There were a couple quotes that stood out to me that I wanted to share in this post. I love a phrase that makes you stop and re-read like this one did: "Forcing love is like picking a flower then insisting that it grow".
In the second one, I just loved the turn of phrase. It read, "as shifting as the flip of a pencil to an eraser".
Mitch Albom is such a thoughtful writer and excellent storyteller. Although this story continues down a path started in The Five People You Meet In Heaven, you can read either book without having read the other. If this story doesn't suit you, I would highly recommend checking out his other works which are equally heartwarming and encouraging reads. I personally favour Tuesday's With Morrie as a non-fiction option, or The Time Keeper if you prefer fiction. Let me know if you have a Mitch Albom favourite in the comments below.
Yours Literarily,
Lauren.
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