For one more day - Mitch Albom

I borrowed this book after reading the books "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" and "Tuesdays wtih Morrie" by the same author. I tend to read fiction books by authors - if I pick up a book I like, I tend to go back and borrow all the books by the same author.

This book is about a character, Charley Benetto who returns to his hometown to kill himself after his life is ruined by alcohol and regret. He finds his mother who died 8 years ago still living in the old house and she welcomes him back as if nothing had ever happened. What follows is the one ordinary day so many of us yearn for, a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain family secrets and to seek forgiveness.

Some bits from the book which The Slog would like to record down

1) About the bit about wanting to kill oneself "There's only your life, how you mess it up, and who is there to save you. Or who isn't."

2) "Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower looser standard. Maybe it's like my old man said: U can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy but you can't be both. So you cling to the one you think you might lose."

3) "The word "divorce" comes from "divertere" which means "to divert". I believe that. All divorce does is divert you, taking you away from everything you thought you knew and everything you thought you wanted..."

4) "Going back to something is harder than you think"

5) "Here is what you are going to find out about marriage: you have to work at it together. And you have to love three things. (1) Each other (2) Your Children (3) Your marriage. What I meant by that last one is there may be times that you fight and sometimes you won't even like each other. But those are the times you have to love your marriage. It's like a third party. Look at your wedding photos. Look at any memories you have made. And if you believe in those memories, they will pull you back together."

6) "I met a man once who did a lot of mountain climbing. I asked him which was harder? Ascending or descending? He said without a doubt descending, because ascending you were so focused on reaching the top you avoided mistakes. THe backside of a mountain is a fight against human nature. U have to care as much about youself on the way down as you did on the way up."

7) "When someone is in your heart, they're never truly gone. They can come back to you, even at unlikely times."

8) "Belief, hard work and love - you have those things, you can do anything"

The Slog Reviews: A good read. Mothers will like reading this book and hope that their children do too.