I read this book in a day, and it took me twice as long to full understand how I felt towards it. I think that everyone will have their own ideas towards this book, whether it is too preachy, hyper emotional, a wonderful fiction, or even a beautiful idea of the afterlife.  Regardless, Albom is playing with some pretty big life questions and making us think about them in a new light.

The story is of 83 year-old Eddie, well more like it begins with his death, and follows him through the five people he meets in heaven. Eddie has worked as a maintenance man at Ruby Pier amusement park, ever since his father relinquished the position when he fell ill and died. The everyday is viewed as mundane and a series of tasks to get him through the day, but he always ensures all tasks are completed properly. One afternoon the carriage seat of the sheer-drop ride ‘Freddy’s Fall’ becomes precariously skewed and passengers are stuck at the top of the drop with only the safety bar stopping them from falling. The park staff work quickly under Eddie’s orders and manages to save the people, but he notices too late that when they release the carriage seat for decent the hydraulic cord will snap and send the seat plummeting to the ground. He manages to warn everyone away, save for a young girl wailing in the confusion, so Eddie runs to save her from the descending death.

He doesn’t know if he saved the girl but all he knows is that he is being dragged away onto a journey, and the first stop is to the amusement park of his childhood. Eddie first meets the blue man, who he accidently killed when chasing his baseball onto the road causing a crash. Next was his Army Captain, who died in war but he discovers who dies saving his men (which included Eddie). Then he met Ruby, the woman who gave her name to the pier, and came to hate it after it nearly destroyed the life of her husband. He spent most of his time with his wife, Marguerite, exploring their life together and finally dancing to their wedding song for the last time. Eddie’s last person, a Pilipino girl named Tala, lifts the shadow that always haunted him from his days in the war.

All of these people exist in their own idea of heaven, even if Eddie hadn’t been there in his life or had not even known the person. Heaven seems to be a unique creation in the mind of each person, their own special place of dreamed happiness. Marguerite, for example, existed in a heaven of endless weddings, always celebrating the beauty and hope of love. However, each person Eddie met was to teach him something or allow him to ease into a peaceful existence for heaven. Through promises, forgiveness, love and memories; Eddie discovered that his life did have meaning and he did not lead a “nothing” life as he always claimed.

I must admit throughout this entire book I was thinking of how close this was to the concept of ‘A Christmas Carol’, changing the outlook of life for the grumpy protagonist. Avoiding the giant elephant of ‘actual afterlife beliefs’ in this novel, I would rather it have more significance to how people can live their lives. No one should think or be bullied into the idea that they are nothing, and that life is filled with beautiful people that you should cherish, understand, fight with and forgive every day. I think I take away the importance of connections from this book, and will give myself time to contemplate the rest.