Le Provocateur

It is only natural for people to wonder what will become of them after they die. Some people look at death scientifically, citing that when the human body dies, life ceases to exist. Others maintain a more philosophic point of view, believing that the physical body and spiritual soul are two separate entities, and that the latter lives on even after the former has passed away. Then there are those who draw on their religious beliefs to support the concept of heaven, a place where departed souls live on for eternity.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven presents one man's idea of heaven. Author Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie) wrote his latest bestselling novel as a tribute to his beloved uncle Edward Beitchman, who gave him his first concept of heaven as a young boy.

"Everyone has an idea of heaven, as do most religions, and they should all be respected," Albom said. "The version represented here is only a guess, a wish, and in some ways, that my uncle, and others like him - people who felt unimportant here on earth - realize, finally, how much they mattered and how they were loved."

The first chapter of Five People is very oddly entitled "The End," as readers are first introduced to the protagonist, Eddie, in the last hour of his life. Eddie is an old, decrepit war veteran employed as the ride maintenance man at the Ruby Pier amusement park. He feels like he leads a meaningless life, and his days are filled with loneliness and regret.

Eddie's monotonous life suddenly veers off course when he is killed in a freak accident at the park on his 83rd birthday. It is at this point that the novel truly begins, since, as Albom said, "All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time..."

According to Albom, everyone creates their own heaven which consists of whatever gave them true happiness on earth. The main premise of Five People is that before Eddie can reach his heaven, he must pass through the heavens of five other people whose lives intersected with his. By talking to these people, Eddie will have the events of his life explained. He will also come to understand how each of the five crossed his path before they died, altering his existence forever.

"I am your first person, Edward," says the first of the five people Eddie encountered. "When I died, my life was illuminated by five others, and then I came here to wait for you, to stand in your line, to tell you my story, which becomes part of yours."

Five People is filled with shocking revelations that bring Eddie to tears as he hears the life stories of the five people he meets on his way to his heaven, and learns how seemingly innocuous actions have an effect in the greater scheme of things. As Eddie visits each of the five people in their heavens, he is taught timeless lessons that anyone who feels unimportant or forgotten in this world can take to heart.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is so touching because it appeals to the universal human concern of, simply, what's going to happen after we die. The novel leaves readers with one potential answer, and challenges them to find meaning in their own lives here on earth. As the first book this year that I sacrificed sleep to stay up all night to read, The Five People You Meet in Heaven gets a well-deserved 9 out of 10.

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