The Next Person You Meet In Heaven

It had been a couple of years since I last read Mitch Albom's work. I am a hard-core fan of Mitch, ever since I first read ‘Five People You Meet In Heaven’ a decade ago. Recently I got my hands on one of his new books, which is a sequel to this book. I got sort of excited looking at the title, but I was left with mixed feelings. 

PC: Google

Fifteen years ago Eddie, a maintenance guy, at Ruby Pier died in an accident while saving a little girl Annie. In the prequel his journey after life is highlighted with the retrospection of his life and the choices he made, and making connections with the actions. Sequel revolves around that little Annie, now a grown-up young lady, the aftermath of the accident in her life. Didn't Mitch touch the same concepts in the first book? Making peace (Eddie with his Dad, Eddie and Tala), Connection to a soul with another (Eddie and his wife), sacrifice (The Officer in the war time) etc. This book runs almost on the same concepts, connections known or unknown, actions intentional or accidental, reconciliation and letting go, understanding that our lives are meaningful and worth. 

One thing is sure, that Mitch still got his magic working on weirdos like me. His craft of storytelling is flawless and engaging. Did it thrill me as its prequel? I would say No. I felt like it  is sort of another ‘Five People You Meet In Heaven’ interlaced with 'For One More Day'. 

Yet, I found some quotes worth saving.   Thanks to Mitch, he did not completely make me feel that my time is wasted. 

 “We fear loneliness, but loneliness itself does not exist. It has no form. It is merely a shadow that falls over us. And just as shadows die when light changes, that sad feeling can depart once we see the truth.”
“What’s the truth?” Annie asked.
“That the end of loneliness is when someone needs you.”

“Children begin by needing their parents. Over time, they reject them. Eventually, they become them.”

 “Just because you have silenced a memory does not mean you are free of it.”

 “Because we embrace our scars more than our healing, we can recall the exact day we got hurt, but who remembers the day the wound was gone?”

 “That’s how salvation works. The wrongs we do open doors to do right.”

 “Loss is as old as life itself. But for all our evolution, we are yet to accept it.”

 “You lose something every day you live. Sometimes it’s as tiny as the breath you just expelled, sometimes it’s so big you think you won’t survive it.”

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