For One More Day : Mitch Albom
For One More Day is a 2006 novel by the acclaimed sportswriter and author Mitch Albom. It opens with the novel’s protagonist planning to commit suicide. His adulthood is shown to have been rife with sadness. His own daughter didn’t invite or tell him about her wedding. His mother has been dead for 8 years, but he is allowed one more day to spend with her after he tried to kill himself.
The underlying theme or belief that runs throughout this novel, which is similar to that of his previous books (Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven), is that love is the biggest influence in one’s life.
The Boston Globe said “Albom has the ability to make you cry in spite of yourself.” Fellow sports commentator Bob Costas said, “Mitch Albom writes with insight and compassion.” Also the Cleveland Plain Dealer said, “Albom has a gift for tapping into readers’ sincerely sentimental spots.”
Plot summary
For One More Day tells the story of Charles “Chick” Benetto, a child of divorce who is always forced to choose between his mother and his father. He grows into a man and starts a family of his own. But one fateful weekend, he leaves his mother to secretly be with his father and she dies while he is gone. This haunts him for years. It leads him to depression and alcoholism. One night, he decides to take his life. But somewhere between this world and the next, he encounters his mother again, in their hometown, and gets to spend one last day with her–the day he missed and always wished he’d had. By the end of this magical day, Charley discovers how little he really knew about his mother, the secret of how her love saved their family, and how deeply he wants the second chance to save his own.
TV Adaptation
The novel was adapted into a television movie by Oprah Winfrey, and it was aired by ABC on December 9, 2007 as “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom’s For One More Day”. The film starred Ellen Burstyn and Michael Imperioli.
