Leslie Warnke

Mitch Albom conveys an imaginative perspective on life after death and inspires provocative thought in his sophomore novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

Old and lonely, Eddie trudges through mundane days as the head of maintenance at Ruby Pier Amusement Park. The only joy he experiences is in making pipe cleaner animals for the children at the park. When a ride experiences a glitch on his 83rd birthday, Eddie must leap to save a small girl in the path of a plummeting cart. In his attempt to save the girl’s life, Eddie is killed as the cart crushes him.

Eddie enters heaven, where five different people from his life meet him, each in their own version of heaven. The first, a blue-tinted man from the Pier Freak Show of Eddie’s youth, explains that every person one encounters in his or her life is there for a reason. He explains Eddie’s role in his life, and tells Eddie that he will meet four more people in heaven who will help him understand what his purpose on Earth was.

Eddie meets his army commander next. Then he meets Ruby, of whom the Pier is named. Both help him understand the reason for various tribulations in his life and help him to reconcile with his estranged father.

Eddie’s wife, Marguerite, is the fourth person he meets. She takes him through her version of heaven, but he eventually leaves her for his final appointment.

The final person Eddie meets reassures him that his monotonous work at the amusement park was not in vain. She gives him comfort in knowing that he saved the girl he died for, along with many other people through his work as a ride repairman.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven was written beautifully and also very clearly, so as to never give uncertainties as to where the plot was going or what was happening in the book. At only 194 pages, I finished the book in two days, devouring every word. This book made me laugh, cry, but mostly it forced me to reflect on my own life and the people a part of it throughout the years.

I recommend reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven if you’re interested in reading a heartwarming novel that may help you reassess your perspective on life, or if you’re just looking for a good read.