The Next Person 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 the sequel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Although it is not necessary to read that first, I would definitely recommend that you do, as you will get quite a bit more out of Annie's story if you have followed both her and Eddie's journeys.

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What it's about:

After being saved in a horrifying amusement park accident, Annie's life is never the same. She loses her left hand, and bears the scars of its reattachment everywhere she goes. When years later she eventually gets to heaven, she meets five people whose lives intersected hers, to help her comes to terms with the tragic events of her childhood. Annie's journey is one of great love, and great loss, and she must learn that embracing her death starts with embracing her life.

Why it's worth a read:

• If you loved Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven, this sequel is a must. For all of those who wondered what happened to Annie, and wanted to go in-depth into her story, this is the chance.
• Heartbreaking and emotional, this book is one that will hit you in the gut. For one reason or another, there is something in this book to appeal to your emotions.
• Short chapters and passages make this a great read during those busy times. You can pick it up and put it down virtually anywhere, and still come back to it with the same emotional investment. Each section is properly wrapped up on its own.

Where it disappoints:

• You have to suspend your disbelief a bit. As it focuses on some unconventional beliefs regarding the afterlife, there is quite a bit of symbolism and unusual imagery. Although not bad, if you feel more comfortable with a "pearly gates" view of heaven, this one might come off as a bit too artsy.
• There is a lot of focus on Annie's hand, and it sort of dominates the story at points. Not to say that it isn't an extremely important aspect, however you are sort of waiting for more character development at times.
• Each individual story is short, so you don't go too far in-depth into any section. Readers who want a fuller story may be disappointed by this.

Final Thoughts:

I thought overall that The Next Person You Meet in Heaven was better than its predecessor. Although there were a few points that were rough and not my favourite, I found that this story was quite impactful. I don't know if Albom's writing has improved, or if I just related more to the story because this one involved a woman of a similar age, but I connected more to Annie's story than I ever did to Eddie's.