Paperback, 208 pages
English language
Published April 1, 2008 by Hyperion.
In an inspirational debut novel by the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, Charles "Chick" Benetto, grieving over the death of his mother, uses alcohol as a crutch to deal with his loneliness, isolation, and depression and the disintegration of his life, until an encounter with his mother's ghost brings him new awareness and leads him to attempt to put his life back together.
Another marvelous tale of empathy, love, care, and family. It is also rather well suited to the Halloween season. What can I say other than I loved it; it brought both memories and tears...
Concepts such as a child standing up for a parent versus a parent standing up to a child were poignantly explored and the difficulty of choosing between parents. The centerpiece of the book is what different parents give us. That being said, the narrative device of a near death experience was trite and did not actually add anything. All of the moving interactions with his mother truly happened in the flashbacks and could have been kept there without that aspect. The surprise twist at the end was anticlimactic, not to mention unnecessary and the culmination of Chick's relationship with his daughter felt added on in the end. Far from Albom's best work.
