Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as coincidence. Maybe projected by a higher force or it’s a kombucha of mathematical equations, meta physical occurrences and everyday life shenanigans.
This is kind of the case with the next book I read with the name – the next person you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom.
I’ve been to a book exchange gathering and this was the only book which caught my interest. Let’s say it another way – there weren’t any other English book because it was a French gathering but in the last moment a girl dropped it. She said to me “it’s not my type of book, so I don’t know what is the story”.
I must admit that it’s not my type either but recently I have started to read light novels. Give them a new… chance to retribute before me. ; )
Honestly, I don’t know who invented the term but this is far from a light novel. I must warn you that this book is far from light book if you plan to relax with a cup of tea before going to bed.
I had to stop and reflect after each major event because I wanted to make a comparison with my own “sea” of life events or just to try to not be absorbed by the hardships, the lessons and even the happy endings.
The book structure is nonlinear which is a nice thing at least for me. It creates the idea of “You don’t know everything from the beginning but if you are patient enough until the end of the book you will complete the puzzle.”
It makes you analyze and reflect mostly on your own personal choses, of things that maybe you didn’t want to do, that you regret or you took for granted. Maybe you are thinking that you are making mistakes, you are judging the people by their look or their actions but the book gives you a different point of view.
In terms of language difficulty, it’s far from difficult. There isn’t any specified terminology so from the foreign language learner perspective is also a good and easy book.
The story was about Annie which “finally” is grasping the happiness in her hands. She is going to marry Paul. But the things take unexpected turn.
The pace of the book depends on your capability to overcome the “storms” in life. As I said I had to stop after each major episode but probably if you are get used to such turnovers you could maintain a really good tempo with it.
Each character has his own lesson to teach Annie and it is told by the perspective and the life experiences of these supportive characters. I think that for a light novel they are profound enough. And also depending on your life you can prefer more one over the other.
As always, I am going to give you a glimpse of my favorite part. This book was like a fountain of good and heartbreaking stories but I was mostly touched by the story of Sameer.
His lesson is something that a lot of people from my generation, the next and probably myself forgot. And that’s the “heritage” of the generation before ours.
It makes you stop and think about that the “sacrifice” or the mistake (from a certain point of view) of one person could lead to salvation of many more after him. In the case of Sameer is that he was a boy who was fascinated with trains.
He was trying to take one while it was still moving but he is just a kid with his imagination and the moment he touches or jumps to the side of the train, it rips off his arm from his body. I know that it’s sounds horrific but it leads to good outcome not only for himself but for everybody else.
Fortunately, he survives and his arm is stitched to his body successfully as a result of experimenting new way to do so. It’s not the perfect final result but the thing took place in the 60s so it was good enough for its time.
After that event Sameer decide to dedicate his life becoming a doctor and making such surgeries better and better.
It’s very beautifully told in the book and when you read something like this, it can bring tears to your eyes.
I always remember the final scene from the movie Gangs of New York. It’s about the savage times when the town was first discovered and built. There were a lot of gang wars for different rich parts of the town or just for the right the Irish, the Chinese, the white, the blacks to exist peacefully. At the end of the movie Leonardo DiCaprio and the rest of the main characters are sitting in front of the bridge of New York while watching towards the main city.
The scene is changing to our days on the same place. Meanwhile the music is very deep and touching and the character of Leonardo speaks that “at the end we are building our society on the building blocks of our ancestors and their blood. But eventually nobody will remember them…”
And this movie can make you realize it is valid not only for New York but for every town on every place.
It is valid for everything.
Thank you.
Amusika 