This is an inspiring fictional book about the final moments of an octogenarian called Eddie. Eddie suffered from a knee injury that he had gotten through war. He lost the love of his life Maguerite to cancer years ago and spent most of his years working at Ruby Pier, an amusement park, as maintenance.It was at this same amusement park where he met his  untimely demise saving a little girl called Annie when a ride breaks down.

“All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.”

Sometimes,when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.“

The five people you meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom

In this novel, we join Eddie on his journey to the afterlife, where he meets five people. These were people whose lives were intertwined with Eddie’s in ways that were both visible and invisible. They helped Eddie understand the life he lived on Earth – that everything that happened to him wasn’t by chance. They also helped Eddie make peace with some of his haunting memories from his life. One of such people helped Eddie erase the misconceptions he had about his father.

This was a heartwarming story and was quite refreshing to read. It’s a story that is both inspiring and also allows us to reflect on life in a very sacred way.

The major theme that kept repeating in this novel was the idea that we’re interwoven into several delicate connections. These connections don’t end with just the people we are familiar with but also people who have gone ahead of us and those that we’re yet to meet. It paints the idea that nothing just happens and that everything has been premeditated. Our lives affect others one way or the other even if we’re unaware of it.

“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

The 5 people you meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom

The book also touched on forgiveness, love (in ways that aren’t so obvious), and hope.

I’ve had the opportunity to read the sequel ‘The next person you meet in Heaven’, which is the story of the little girl that was saved by Eddie at Ruby Pier.

I’d recommend this book to everyone. It is a soulful one and helps us appreciate life and the people we come across.

“We are each responsible for our own life“.