Book Review
by Mitch Albom
Publication Date: 2003
Original Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: Fiction (1930's to modern day)
Rating (1-4): 4
This book pulled me in right away with the engaging character of Eddie and his life as head of maintenance at Ruby Pier, an amusement park. When Eddie suddenly dies, he finds himself confronted by an unexpected person from his past in "heaven". He, and the four others who follow, review Eddie's life with him and help him to understand the whys and hows that are such common questions when someone's life ends.
The book is written with acute sensitivity to universal feelings that we all have about why we are here, and what is the meaning of our lives. Eddie is just an "average" person, and appears to have lived just an ordinary life. But as he looks back, his life was actually quite full and, as he discovers, meaningful in ways that he hadn't seen while living.
This is a book that you don't want to stop reading. You keep wanting to see who the next person is that Eddie will meet! The other characters are rich and relatable, and their stories equally as interesting as Eddie's own. When you finish this book, you'll have a new perspective on life and lots to think about. I highly recommend it, and it's not a very long read, so good one to pick up when you don't have a lot of reading time.
