The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
I read The Five People You Meet in Heaven several years ago, and liked it. In truth, everything I have read by Mitch Albom has been worth my time. They are generally quick reads, but they always touch the heart. This one was no different.
This was the story of Annie. Annie was injured in an amusement park accident when she was a child (the same accident mentioned in the previous book), and the scars, both physical and emotional, left an indelible mark on her life.
At the beginning of the book, Annie is marrying her true love, Paulo. They met in elementary school, lost touch for fifteen years when his family moved to Italy, then found each other again. Their love was meant to be. On the night of their wedding, they saw a man stuck on the side of the road in the rain changing his tire, and they stopped so Paulo could help him. The man was appreciative and gave him a business card. He owned a hot air balloon company. The next morning, Annie decides that they should go for a hot air balloon ride.
Instead of the man they helped the night before, his assistant took them up in the balloon. He was not as experienced, and they ended up caught in electric lines. The balloon pilot was ejected from the basket, Annie was thrown out by Paulo, and Paulo fell. They ended up in the hospital, and Paulo's injuries were such that he was going to die if he didn't receive a new lung. Annie offered hers, and despite everyone not wanting to honor those wishes, she gives a lung to Paulo.
Then she wakes up in Heaven, meeting five people who touched her life in some way. Annie always felt that she made mistakes, to the point that everything she did was a mistake. The five people she meets help her to see things in ways she never thought to.
This book was beautiful--sad, but beautiful. I highly recommend it.
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