Take a photo of a barcode or cover
never4get 's review for:
The Next Person You Meet in Heaven
by Mitch Albom
As a child Annie was traumatically injured on a showground ride. Her left hand was severed but fortunately was able to be saved with modern surgical techniques. However, an elderly showground worker was killed trying to save her. She blocked this out from her memory through her life. Her mother takes her away to a new area to escape the trauma.
At school and elsewhere she was bullied because of the issue with her hand. A young boy, Paulo, is the only one who is kind to her.
Later on in life she reconnects with Paulo and they fall in love. After their wedding, they stop to help a driver on the side of the road, who runs hot air balloons. However, on an uncharacteristic whim, she persuades him to go on a dawn balloon ride. The balloon operator is not fully qualified and the weather is changing,with the result that they get caught in wind and fall from the balloon. Paulo is badly injured. She feels it is all her fault. Annie offers to donate one of her lungs to save him. From the start of the book there's a constant count-down to death! Her uncle Dennis is a surgeon at the hospital.
Flashbacks to Annie's childhood, where it appears her father was abusive to her and she blames herself for him leaving home. Silent resentment to her mother.
Next thing she knows is that she is in an unfamiliar place and meets up with several people that have a connection to her. 'Her eyes never opened yet she could see quite clearly. And she was moving.'
'When you first get to heaven, you meet 5 people from your time on earth. They were all in your life for a reason.'
1. Boy who was the first person to have a limb reattached
2. Her dog, Cleo, that was a lifesaver when she was taken away and had no friends. 'The end of loneliness is when someone needs you'
3. Her mother, Lorraine. Story of her dysfunctional marriage to Jerry. Annie's school days - Paulo was a good friend. She drew a picture of him, but Meg took a photo of it and showed him and all the others. His family went to Italy. One teacher asked about family roots and Annie answered about having an accident. Megan also researched Annie's background and found out about the accident and that someone had died because of her. Annie kept transferring schools. After school she went to live with a boyfriend and didn't contact her mother. Later she contacted her uncle and discovered her mother had cancer.
Annie becomes pregnant to Walt and has a baby boy, Laurence, but he dies 3 days later. Later on Annie decides to become a nurse.
4. Eddie, maintenance man from the amusement arcade. He feels guilt because during the War he set fire to a hut and there was a young girl, Tala, in there. 'The wrongs we do open doors to do right.' Eddie hands Annie her son, Laurence.
5. Paulo. The northern lights.
The balloon owner sold the business and eventually contacted Annie. He went to see her. She was visibly pregnant and remarkably calm. 'Winds blew', she said.
All endings are also beginnings - we just don't know it at the time.
At school and elsewhere she was bullied because of the issue with her hand. A young boy, Paulo, is the only one who is kind to her.
Later on in life she reconnects with Paulo and they fall in love. After their wedding, they stop to help a driver on the side of the road, who runs hot air balloons. However, on an uncharacteristic whim, she persuades him to go on a dawn balloon ride. The balloon operator is not fully qualified and the weather is changing,with the result that they get caught in wind and fall from the balloon. Paulo is badly injured. She feels it is all her fault. Annie offers to donate one of her lungs to save him. From the start of the book there's a constant count-down to death! Her uncle Dennis is a surgeon at the hospital.
Flashbacks to Annie's childhood, where it appears her father was abusive to her and she blames herself for him leaving home. Silent resentment to her mother.
Next thing she knows is that she is in an unfamiliar place and meets up with several people that have a connection to her. 'Her eyes never opened yet she could see quite clearly. And she was moving.'
'When you first get to heaven, you meet 5 people from your time on earth. They were all in your life for a reason.'
1. Boy who was the first person to have a limb reattached
2. Her dog, Cleo, that was a lifesaver when she was taken away and had no friends. 'The end of loneliness is when someone needs you'
3. Her mother, Lorraine. Story of her dysfunctional marriage to Jerry. Annie's school days - Paulo was a good friend. She drew a picture of him, but Meg took a photo of it and showed him and all the others. His family went to Italy. One teacher asked about family roots and Annie answered about having an accident. Megan also researched Annie's background and found out about the accident and that someone had died because of her. Annie kept transferring schools. After school she went to live with a boyfriend and didn't contact her mother. Later she contacted her uncle and discovered her mother had cancer.
Annie becomes pregnant to Walt and has a baby boy, Laurence, but he dies 3 days later. Later on Annie decides to become a nurse.
4. Eddie, maintenance man from the amusement arcade. He feels guilt because during the War he set fire to a hut and there was a young girl, Tala, in there. 'The wrongs we do open doors to do right.' Eddie hands Annie her son, Laurence.
5. Paulo. The northern lights.
The balloon owner sold the business and eventually contacted Annie. He went to see her. She was visibly pregnant and remarkably calm. 'Winds blew', she said.
All endings are also beginnings - we just don't know it at the time.