I’ve decided to start a section of my blog dedicated to letting you know what I’m reading and what I think about it. I try to read a wide variety of books but you will see more science fiction and fantasy on this blog than any other type of story. I will begin with a book I finished reading two weeks ago for my book club, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.
I am not a fan of books that try to imagine, whether for the sake of fiction or non-fiction, what happens after we die. I have almost written such speculation into my own stories many times, but each time I back off for one very important reason: There is nothing I can write or imagine on this topic that will not be a huge disappointment.
This book vividly reminded me of the reason that I do no care for such books. In the end, the revelations of purpose handed down in heaven were nothing more or less than what we humans could have figured out on our own. Maybe that’s all there is to know and if so, I can accept it when the time comes, but for the moment I would rather imagine that there is something more for me to understand than what I could ever imagine here on Earth.
Setting aside that major flaw, the book was a smooth and easy read. Eddie, the main character, lived a full and balanced life complete with flaws and good deeds. There is probably an aspect of his life that any of us could relate to, which made him an ideal character for this type of novel.
The premise is that when you die, you meet five people in heaven that explain things to you. These people may or may not be the ones you expect, but each has something important to contribute. When you are finished, you will wait and be the guide for someone else. (If you’re like me you will spot a math error in this setup, but try to ignore it for the sake of the story.)
As a book about who we are and what our life is for, this is a good read, but not particularly deep or insightful. Give it a chance sometime when you want something light, short, and sweet.