Review: The First Phone Call From Heaven

Source: TLC Book Tours

 The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom
Genre: Christian Fiction, Inspiration, Adult Fiction
Pages: 323 (ARC)
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Description:

The First Phone Call from Heaven tells the story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. An allegory about the power of belief--and a page-turner that will touch your soul--Albom's masterful storytelling has never been so moving and unexpected.

My Rating:

My Review:
When people begin to get phone calls from relatives that had passed away, a whole town is flummoxed.  People begin to come from far and wide to experience this miracle and the residents of a small town near Lake Michigan find their lives quite changed.  While some are touched, others are shaken, and Sully Harding is angry.  He wants to prove that this is not a miracle but a hoax.  Mr. Albom weaves a story around faith, hope, belief, love, and second chances.

I love Mitch Albom. He focuses on faith rather than a particular religion and it is easy to feel inspired.  The story is told through the eyes of multiple characters who live in the small sleepy town but there is a special focus on Sully Harding who is just returning home after a stint in prison.  I couldn't put this one down because I wanted to know whether it was a hoax but I wish the middle had progressed a bit faster.  Actually, I wish some of it had been cut out together to make room for a bit more in the end.  The end was too rushed for my taste.  Even though Sully Harding is trying to prove the phone calls are a hoax this story doesn't feel like a mystery at all.  It felt like a personal story and it allowed the reader to become close to multiple characters.  I found myself reflecting because each character gave me something new to think about.  Sully's background regarding the plane reminded me of a rather recent movie but I can't think of the name of it off the top of my head (Denzel Washington played in it...anybody?) but this bothered me a little bit.

Overall, an easy quick inspirational read.  I didn't find the message as clear as in previous Albom books but I felt inspired all the same.