Renowned American author, journalist, broadcaster, musician, screenwriter, and playwright, Mitchell Albom, was born on 23rd May 1958, whose books have sold more than forty million copies and have been translated multilingual forms globally. The author is highly recognized for serving up the superficial spirituality in the motivational bookforms like Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, Have a Little Faith, The First Phone Call from Heaven, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, et cetera. He is the awardee of the 2010 Red Smith Award as well. The Stranger in the Lifeboat, New York Times bestseller within a week of its sales, got published in 2021 that has 271 pages and the name of the publisher is HarperCollins, the USA, which is not only a deeply moving novel about the power of love and hope in the face of danger, but also a mystery that will keep the bookworms guessing to the very end; and this novel makes the audience realize that God’s one day is considerable years of humans.
To begin with the story precisely, as a tragic and mysterious shipwreck named as Galaxy in the Atlantic, a frantic group of people with varied personality traits like workers, leaders, billionaire, business people, et cetera are found on that voyage. A few survivors float in a life raft who try their best to stay alive on a lifeboat including Benji- a chronicler who has regularly been writing the records of the accident to his beloved, Annabelle pondering she may somehow read them after he dies though he sails the boat for a long time to protect life. These people have no communication tools either.
In addition, Benji’s notebook or record is found one year later on the same abandoned boat by Jarty LeFleur-a policeman. They have faced the shortage of food, water including their hopefulness for three days. Unknown two passengers are also pulled aboard. The first one is a girl who does not speak and the second one is the young man with no injury.
Moreover, the boy says he is the incarnated form of the God and life savior because of their friends’ beseeching in such troublesome state. He also says firmly that he can only do that as someone recalls him. Anyway, the sharks eat the corpse of a passenger that is thrown in water and disappear. Jarty LeFleur looks blank and numb as he knows the sinking demise of his wee girl. He loves concealing the notebook of Benji in order to solace the desperate minds globally. Reporters in Television news barge in the story to provide just the main facts about the missing people. The hiding notebook of Benji’s story of God’s faith may only be accomplished by Jarty LeFleur. Next, the novel has three distinct chapters connecting varied viewpoints and timeline like Sea or Land or News. The title ‘Sea’ shows the survivors find on the boat, whereas ‘Land’ indicates the eighteen months period after the ship sinks; and ‘News’ title is there before the ship starts sailing. All three helps the readers look inwardly and reveal their trust outwardly. In addition, Dutch writer Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen in the book The Return of the Prodigal Son says, “When I look through God’s eyes at my lost self and discover God’s joy at my coming home, then my life may become less anguished and more trusting.”
Eventually, one shipwreck, ten strangers who are in the phase of life or death mystery to solve, and the journey journey that inspires readers following the book. The space between life and death is not as great as you conceive. Eventually, one shipwreck, ten strangers who are in the phase of life or death mystery to solve, and the journey journey that inspires readers following the book. The space between life and death is not as great as you conceive.
I highly recommend this thoughtprovoking, hope-filled, and inspirational literary genre to our voracious audiences reckoning that the novelist aims at delivering his creativity in order to explore, appreciate and reflect what the significance of human life with the juxtaposition of God. On the one hand it is the novels who overcome their death toll. On the others, humans’ faith is tested.