The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom  224 pages

I admit that I’ve often wondered over the last fifteen years if Mitch Albom would ever write a sequel to “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” What happened to Annie after the tragic accident at the amusement park when she was just eight years old? Did she carry the scars of Eddie’s death? Did she even remember him? Well, now I know; my wait is over.

Annie is a nurse and a day shy of her thirty-first birthday. Readers get to watch Annie marry Paulo, a childhood friend who had been out of her life for many years. As they embark on their honeymoon, they stop to help a man change a flat tire. That moment of kindness changes Annie and Paulo’s life forever.

Later that night, Annie and Paulo are involved in a horrific accident. Annie goes to heaven to meet the five people who explain her life to her. But that’s not how the story ends, so this wasn’t a spoiler. 

I was a little disappointed in this sequel. I took the title literally, and thought there would be a sixth person. Or something. The structure of the novel follows the same structure in the original story, so that gave it some continuity.  However, I feel as if the title was misleading and that is why  “The Next Person You Meet in Heaven” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom  196 pages

I first read this delightful short novel when it was first published in 2003.  I couldn’t put it down, then, and I couldn’t put it down this time either. I wanted to refresh my memory about Eddie, the 83 year old amusement park maintenance man before I started Mitch Albom’s sequel, “The Next Person You Meet in Heaven.”

The story starts at the end, with Eddie dying on his eighty-third birthday. Eddie had worked at Ruby Pier in the Maintenance Department all his life. He considered himself a nobody, no one special. But Eddie was very special. Every day he walked through the park. He could hear a problem with one of the rides as acutely as if the park was empty and completely silent. All the regulars knew Eddie and loved him. He even carried yellow pipe cleaners in his shirt pocket to make little animals for the kids.

On that particular day, Eddie was nearby when one of the rides began to fall.  He rushed to the scene, grabbed little Annie by the hands and got her out of the way before one of the ride’s cars plummeted to Earth.

Eddie arrives in heaven. It’s not at all like he expected. There he learns that there are five people, whom you may or may not know, that are connected to your life. They are to answer the question that haunts us all:  why am I here? What is my purpose?

As Eddie advances through heaven, those questions are answered. Eddie soon learns that he wasn’t a nobody, he was important. Very important. Not just the maintenance man at an amusement park, but his real job was to protect the children. 

Eddie’s story has struck with me through the years. Oftentimes I find myself wondering why I am here and what my purpose is. Then I think of this little story and wonder who might my five people be.  This read is just as compelling and appealing as it was the first time I read it. That’s why  “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.