Book Review: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

I turned into a fan of Mitch Albom ever since I read Tuesdays with Morrie when I was still in college. Then came The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day and Have a Little Faith. When The Time Keeper was released, I bought it right away. But because I’m busier than a bee, I didn’t have the chance to pick it up from the shelf. I totally forgot that I had this book! I was following a FIFO (First In First Out) approach on my book shelf, but I am failing big time! Anyway, I started reading this a couple of weeks ago and was able to finish it before Christmas. That’s why I love the holiday breaks!!!

Being an avid reader of Albom’s books, I noticed that he has his signature written all over The Time Keeper – the short chapters, fictional characters and nonlinear narration. It can’t be denied that The Time Keeper is a Mitch Albom book.

While I was reading the first few chapters of The Time Keeper, I kept on telling myself that this is probably the “weakest” work of Albom. It was dragging and going in circles. But as I progressed, I learned to appreciate how Albom was able to build up the story towards the end. And just like with all the other works of Albom, I found myself in deep thought after I turned the last page of the book. Mitch Albom has a way of finding his way inside the mind of his readers. He has the innate ability to affect the emotions of those who read his books.

The lessons being taught by The Time Keeper are things that are no longer new to us. But that’s actually the beauty of the book. It reminds us of the basic things that we tend to forget. This book served as a reminder of how we are all rushing and trying to beat time. And in doing so, we fail to seize every moment. The book speaks about love, hope and faith. It’s amazing how Albom managed to turn such an ordinary fable into an extraordinary novel that teaches us to live life to the fullest.

Allow me to end this post with a photo. As I was about to end the book, two pages left me speechless. Two pages made me realize a lot of things about life in general. I think these two pages sum up what Albom wants us to learn from The Time Keeper.