Galley Talk

Andi Allen, Piece of Mind Books, Edwardsville, Ill.

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 9/4/2006

I've been a fan of Mitch Albom's books since the week Tuesdays with Morrie came out. So I entered his new book, For One More Day (Hyperion, Sept. 26), with high expectations. Although it's a small book, it makes a big impression. I loved it! It is a perfect ghost story and family story. The characters seemed like good friends early on, and I felt part of their world even more deeply as the book progressed. In short but exquisite vignettes he captures the deep shame and desperation in the life of Charley "Chick" Benetto—who felt he could never meet his father's expectations—and the way his mother (eight years in her grave) helps him heal. The novel deeply echoes Morrie's words: "Death ends a life, not a relationship." Mitch Albom has created another treasure that will appeal to both men and women. This novel will be so easy to sell that, for booksellers, Christmas will arrive on September 26 this year.