A Review of Mitch Albom's "for one more day"

In his memoir Tuesdays with Morrie and his novel The Five People You Meet In Heaven, New York Times bestselling author Mitch Albom succeeded in creatively addressing the struggles we all encounter in how we relate to and reconcile with others, whether friends, family, or strangers. Albom's stories provoke us to ponder and question how we approach these relationships, either under truly extraordinary or utterly banal circumstances. "What could I have done better?" is the resonating question we think about regarding past relationships and "What can I do now?" spurs us to think about our present relationships.

Albom uses this formula in his most recent novel for one more day where he delves into the question "If you had one more day with someone who is no longer in your life, who would it be?" For the protagonist, Charles "Chick" Benetto, it is his mother Posey. We meet Chick in his mid fifties, a man who has carried ordinary and traumatic childhood experiences and expectations into his adulthood. A child of divorce and an absentee father, Chick and his sister are raised by their mother who is both an embarrassment and a compass to them both, especially Chick. As an adult, he has a briefly unsuccessful stint as a Major League baseball player and an even longer and more unsuccessful stint as a salesman.

Following Posey's death in his forties, Chick spirals into eight years of alcoholism and self doubt, which results in Chick leaving his family and losing contact with his daughter. With nothing left in his life, Chick decides to go back to town where he grew up to end it all. In the process, he ends up spending one more day with his mother. It is a remarkable day of discovering who Posey truly was and how her actions influenced his life in positive and negative ways.

The pace of back story intermingled with the present is true to Albom's style, giving the reader just enough information to grasp and propel them forward to the protagonist's next revelation. Successful character development is key in for one more day and the reader will not be disappointed by Albom's descriptions. They are vivid and tangible. Had Albom chosen a female protagonist and slightly different storyline, for one more day would have easily fallen into the "chick lit" category. By choosing Charles "Chick" Benetto as the main character and crafting such a layered and absorbing story line, Albom has successfully appealed to a diverse audience.