It is one of the best books that I have read. I had never thought that everything I do either minor work or major work impact others. I think most people don’t care what they are doing or what will be its effect on others. Actually, I didn’t use to do.
Maybe we keep the record of the effects of our significant or serious types of woks, professions, and activities but we don’t even think about our small or invisible activities. Definitely, there are some activities which are common or nothing for us but the same activities affect other people very badly or maybe well or even causes the death of people. Have you ever thought about it?
In this way, this book reveals the truth that the unexpected connections of our lives with other people through the story of an elderly old man Eddie who is 83 years old. He worked as maintenance at Ruby Pier, an amusement park. He wanted to work or make his career elsewhere from Ruby Pier but he has never been able to do it due to many circumstances. One day, he is killed by the falling cart while trying to save a little girl.
Eddie meets with the five people while going to heaven who had the most considerable impact on him when he was alive at the earth. He becomes amazed by listening to their story connected with him.
Firstly, he meets the blue man who was part of the freak-show at Ruby Pier a long time ago. The blue man tells Eddie that he had died because of him. In a descriptive way, when Eddie was a child, he was running after his lost ball in the street, and the blue man swerves and keeps driving while saving him, and then he has a heart attack and died.
Second, he meets the captain of their unit during World War II. Eddie had lost his leg by shooting in the war. The captain tells that he was the man who shot his leg to save his life. And he also tells that he was killed at that same time.
The third person that he meets is Ruby. She tells him that Ruby Pier was named from her name a long time ago. The relationship between Eddie and his father was very far or apart from each other that they even didn’t talk by the end. Ruby tells that his father was loyal to his family and friend.
He meets his wife Marguerite who had died at the age of 47 years old as the fourth person. Actually, they hadn’t any child. They tried to adopt a child but unluckily they couldn’t. They were only two in the family after their parents’ death. Eddie tells Marguerite about his lonely life after her death. And they also talk about their eternal love.
As the fifth person, he meets a young girl whose name is Tala. During the war time, Eddie had seen a shadow in the flame of fire. He had tried to save her but he couldn’t because of a shot on his leg. Tala reveals that shadow was her and she died in the fire at that time. She tells that he was meant to be as maintenance at Ruby Pier and keep children safe on rides.
Finally, he finds peace and goes with his beloved Marguerite.
There are many lessons in this novel which can change our daily behavior to other people. Among them, I like to share the main five lessons that Eddie learned from five-persons in heaven. These are in chronological order as the number of people:-
There are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from other than you can separate a breeze from the wind.
Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you aren’t really losing it. You are just passing it on to someone else.
Holding anger is poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.
Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that’s all.
Life has to end. Love doesn’t.
You are alright where you were supposed to be.
