First of all i owe a huge thanks to the person that recommended me to read this book... and in general to start reading Mitch Albom's novels. I find it first of all original that he's dealing with a unique kind of subject,how can heaven really be like. It's remarkable how he's managed in not so many pages to mention so many things... "5 people you meet in heaven" is an hymn to some very fundamental values of life, the writer being a sport's journalist himself seems to be aware that it takes no complicated or sophisticated words to pass some messages to his readers... the more simple words and phrases he uses the more will really understand the true meaning... nothing is hidden behind symbolisms, you don't even need to sharpen your brain to find out where's he is guiding you to...it's just there in front of you,so no matter if you have graduated from english literature university or just entered junior high school you still feel the catharsis inside you...the one that Eddie feels meeting each one of the five persons in his after life experience.
Some people may say that this book is very "christian" but there are very few times that God is mentioned, almost nowhere the church is involved... it's all about values, Albom is spreading the whole world that nobody's life is as simple as we think it is, we -the whole world- are somehow connected, everything we do, every single action interacts to others and changes their life... People say that when the time approaches to leave this world we settle with everything try to forgive the ones that we think that harmed us and ask to be forgiven by the ones we did something wrong... well in this book there is a whole different perspective of how easy it is for this to happen, if heaven is indeed like that it clears out every possible problem that might have bothered all of us during our whole life... it's not a place that makes you forget everything, it's not a paradise like "Eden" for instance... it's a place that you really enjoy all the good things that happened to your life...all the good things you did and their consequences to others who may not be persons that you know but still they got benefit from that... It seems that sometimes you don't have to change your life to become a better person, you just have to reconsider who you are and what to do to acknowledge that not only you are a really nice one but also a really important one to the whole world... Well i am looking forward to his next book, if the first one seemed like that i will ask permit to use a 6th stars in the ones following hehe :)
P.S I also watched the film right after having read the book...it was a very loyal "transfer" not so much changed that it mostly happens, and despite its length it was impossible not to skip some certain parts of the book... for a tv production it was very good, Jon Voight was an excellent choice for the main role, in case you like movies don't miss it...