The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Mitch Albom)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is actually the first one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge, so I have to pick up the pace big time!

mitchalbom.com

What it's about:

Eddie heroically dies in a tragic accident and is immediately swept off to heaven. Yet the afterlife isn't the luxurious paradise he imagined. Eddie meets five people whose lives his actions have impacted, or who have impacted his - whether knowingly or not. Each has a lesson to share with him to explain the events of his life. Reflecting on his past experiences, each lesson move him through the stages of his new existence.

Why it's worth a read:

• It's a quick read that you can pick up and put down at nearly any point without getting lost. If you have a busy lifestyle, or try to read on the bus, this book works really well for that
• It's thought-provoking, and gives an interesting perspective of what the journey after death might be like.
• It's a simple book that introduces a journey to understanding and acceptance rather than a religious perspective, so it isn't preachy.

Where it disappoints:

• It doesn't ever really go in-depth into some of the things that you would like. As a reader, we get intricate glimpses into some moments, and then vague or non-existent details about everything else. This can leave the reader a bit unsatisfied
• It is quite repetitive. The format follows the same pattern over and over, and although this provides continuity, it can also feel occasionally like "what, again?" and you wonder if that segment was really necessary for the story.
• The ending definitely could have been expanded on more. I feel like a lot of the moments that should have had greater impact near the end were sped through, when they perhaps should have been the longer portions of the book. It felt like what should have been long sections of development were replaced by simply the character crying.

Final Thoughts:

Although I did enjoy this, I felt like the ending fell a bit flat. Where earlier portions of the book had impact, the last parts felt a bit rushed and didn't hit as deeply as they could have. This greatly impacted my feelings towards an otherwise well done novel. The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, a sequel to this book, comes out in October of this year. I'm not sure whether or not I'll pick it up, but I might if I get the chance.