Book Review: Five people you meet in Heaven

Book: Five people you meet in heaven

Genre: Fiction

Author: Mitch Albom


The reason which propelled me to buy this book was its title, which hooked me and I wanted to know more. The book answers the question we all ask at some point in our life, “What will happen after death?” But do not think of it as a religious book indicating philosophy of a particular religion or scholar. It is just author’s interpretation of afterlife and he explains it through a story in the most simplistic words possible. The book is just over 200 pages long, so it can be read easily in one sitting.

It is about Eddie, who works at an amusement park and the story starts from his 83rd birthday, the day when he dies while saving a girl from a fallen cart. I won’t spoil the ending for you so you can enjoy the book, buy it and find out more. The gist of the book is that “throughout your life, you come across many people, some of whom u know, some you don’t, but all of them change the course of your life in some way or the other. You may or may not notice this when you are alive but through the journey in heaven, you find out how and when the path of your life changed due to interaction with someone significant or insignificant individual in your life.” As I started this book, in spite of being able to predict what will happen next, I wanted to know who those five people Eddie meets in heaven are and how they changed his life at some point or the other, and at what levels his life got affected by them.

This is the theory of life and afterlife put forward by the author through the main character of this book. The only think that bothered me was the way he tells the story, like an old man trying to teach morals to his grandchildren through “once upon a time” stories. Maybe the author could have put his thoughts in a non-fiction categorizing the book under “self-development/self help/spiritual book” to make it a mature reading. But in spite of his preaching style, you will not find it dull or boring. You may or may not agree with the writer's beliefs and how he perceives life n life hereafter but you will definitely like how the story unfolds smoothly from one chapter to another and keeps you engaged till the end. The book is suitable for children and adults because of its simple yet interesting style. So, give it a read and let me know how did you find it.


Review Girl Rating: 7/10