Your life hasn’t been a great one. You have no one to go home to, and nothing to look forward to. So, when a number of people put you in a bad light, you decide that you’ve had enough. So you try and end your life by jumping off a tall tower. Surprisingly, you wake up, wondering what you did wrong, why you didn’t die. More importantly, wondering why your long-deceased mother is looking down on you. Mitch Albom’s For One More Day tells the story of Chick Benetto, who upon receiving a photo from his daughter’s wedding—to which he was not invited—decides that he’s had enough disappointments and prepares to end his life. He goes to a town in California where he grew up and decides to kill himself by jumping off a water tower he used to climb as a child. To his surprise, he survives the fall and is greeted by the image of his long-dead mother, Posey. Chick is grateful to spend “one more day” with his mother in the town where he grew up. As the story progresses, he reminisces the important events that happened in his and his mother’s life. Chick and Posey return to his childhood home, and they are visited by Posey’s clients (Posey is a beautician) who shed more light on this mother-son relationship. The book explores familiar themes of family, love, and ultimately, forgiveness. Albom is known for heavily emotional stories, and this one is no different, except there’s a little bit of fantasy involved, with Chick having the ability to talk to his already-dead mother. For One More Day successfully tells a story from both sides, that of a broken son who felt abandoned by his mother, and a distant mother who was willing to do everything for her child. Mitch Albom’s other works include Tuesdays With Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, The Timekeeper, and more.

Written by:

Paula Apolonio, a book worm and theater enthusiast, she hopes to one day pen an international bestseller.

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