Mitch Albom - The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Book Review

Also available as a Time Warner AudioBook, The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom examines on possibility of what happens to people after they die. In this novel, Albom suggests that we meet 5 people that we have effected or who have effected us. Eddie, the central character, was a maintenance work at Ruby Pier, where he would eventually be killed in a nasty accident. On his journey through the afterlife, Eddie meets a circus freak from Ruby Pier, an army captain that he served with, a mysterious old woman, his wife and Tala, I'll let you discover for yourself exactly who that is.

This novel examines the far reaching consequences of the actions of a man who, on the outside at least, seemed to have live a rather un-extraordinary life. What repercussions do our actions have, what events do we set in motions without even realising, how many people do we help, harm or hinder without even realising it? All of these questions are raised and one set of answers is given for one man.

The tone of the book is largely optimistic, concluding that we all construct our own individual heavens - living out eternity exactly as we choose but only after having our lives examined and explained to us from a perspective we could never have attained while alive.

In 'The Five People You Meet In Heaven' Albom has a clear message he wished to convey and he succeeds in this goal, incidentally producing a compelling and entertaining piece. I give this book a Great Book Guide score of 74% - worth a read if you have a day free.