Review of "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom

Albom seems to be repeating himself

For One More Day cover

Hyperion

"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom is the story of a man who gets the chance to spend one more day with his mother, who died eight years earlier. In the vein of Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," this book takes readers to a place between life and death in a story of redemption and one man's struggle to deal with his ghosts.

"For One More Day" is more of a novella than a fully developed novel. It is well-written, but not especially memorable. It has life lessons that make it a good choice for book club discussions.

Synopsis

  • The lead character, Chick, takes his mother for granted his whole life, then spirals into depression when she dies.
  • Chick tries to commit suicide.
  • Chick gets to spend one more day with his mother in a between life and death world.

Pros

  • "For One More Day" is short, easy to read, and inspirational
  • The story is engaging.
  • This is a moral tale, full of life lessons that book clubs or classes might enjoy discussing.

Cons

  • Like some of Albom's other work, it feels overly sentimental at points.
  • This is very similar to Albom's "Five People You Meet in Heaven." Not much new ground is covered here.

Book Review "For One More Day"

"For One More Day" starts with a young sports reporter approaching former baseball player Chick Benetto. Chick's first words are, "Let me guess. You want to know why I tried to kill myself." From there the story of Chick's life is told in his voice, and the reader hears it as if he or she is the sports reporter sitting there listening to him.

When Chick tries to commit suicide, he wakes up in a world between life and death where he gets to spend one more day with his mother, who died eight years earlier. Chick was supposed to be with his mother the day she died, and he still harbors guilt over the fact that he wasn't.

The story moves back and forth between memories of Chick's childhood and adolescence, and the action taking place between Chick and his dead mother. Ultimately, it is a story of redemption and making peace with one's past. It is a story of love, family, mistakes, and forgiveness.

If all this sounds familiar, that's probably because you have read Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." In fact, this book is very similar to Albom's previous novella. It has the same sort of characters, same sort of supernatural yet familiar setting, same "It's a Wonderful Life" type move from regret to peace with one's life. Albom does not break new ground here. That may be good or bad, depending on how much you like his previous work.

"For One More Day" is a solid choice if you are looking for a quick, inspirational read or need to make a pick for a book club that hasn't read his previous work. However, it is not something you are likely to remember or reread.

Format
mla apa chicago
Your Citation
Miller, Erin Collazo. "Review of "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom." ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/for-one-more-day-by-mitch-albom-book-review-362298. Miller, Erin Collazo. (2020, August 25). Review of "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/for-one-more-day-by-mitch-albom-book-review-362298 Miller, Erin Collazo. "Review of "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/for-one-more-day-by-mitch-albom-book-review-362298 (accessed March 28, 2024).