“The Stranger in the Lifeboat” By Author Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom’s “The Stranger in the Lifeboat” delves into the complexities of the human psyche when faced with tragedy. The book follows the wealthy and influential passengers of a luxury yacht named the Galaxy, who end up stranded on a lifeboat with crew members and a mysterious stranger. As they fight for survival, tensions rise and the true nature of each individual is put to the test.
The book poses thought-provoking questions, such as what one would do if one asked God for help and the Lord showed up. The characters grapple with their fears, hopes, and regrets while coping with the uncertainty and despair of random acts of death and life. Albom explores the nature of faith, the meaning of life, and the importance of human connection through the appearance of the Lord.
At its crux, the novel explores how victims and survivors of random acts of death and life cope with their uncertainty and despair. Albom attempts to explore the nature of faith, the meaning of life, and the importance of human connection with the appearance of the Lord. Unfortunately, the characters lack depth and fail to invoke the reader’s emotions.
It’s important to mention why this happens, the story is delivered in various forms of genres. The narrative bounces back and forth between the people at sea, those on land, those reporting the tragic event, and a notebook with the main character’s perspective. Albom seamlessly transitions the reader from one form of writing to another, except not all these forms help create empathy for the characters.
The reporting, which is meant to carry the weight of the background and detail of the characters, is well written but as mentioned before it does not help the reader form a connection with the characters. The most beautiful parts are the narrative perspectives of the main character Benji, not from his awkwardly written Notebook, or the over-edited and concise dialogue, but from how Benji experiences the unraveling world around him.
Overall, The Stranger in the Lifeboat has a thought-provoking concept and the question it poses will linger on after the novel has ended. Albom’s writing is elegantly spare but dense with higher meanings.
Begin with The Stranger in the Lifeboat
