Review: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom, AF, 2012, Hardcover, 224p, Rating=4
Source: own

In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time. The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Mitch Albom is one of my favorite authors.  He weaves stories that arouses the curiosity of the mind through intriguing characters that doesn't seem to mess by logic but my story's end, a humanity message is achieved.  This book is no exception.  Here the main characters Dor, Sarah, and Victor have varying beef with time.  Dor wants to reverse time, Sarah wants her time to end, and Victor wants to cheat it.  Their individual circumstances then gave the reader pondering moments about the use and misuse of time.  More importantly, together they exemplify the anxiety that it can mold in people.  Hence, this fable was a creative way of bringing out the weight time has in our lives. 

I suspect that at one point in our existence, we will have a beef with time as well.  Dor's story might just be a reminder that time will move forward whether you love it or hate it, so you might as well take a moment to pause now and think about how you will honor time and use it wisely while you can.

My kind of book!