So, this book is about life after death and the meaning of our lives here on earth. Everything you do and every interaction you have has an impact on someone else. Eddie is killed and sent to heaven, and when arriving in heaven, he meets with the five people who had the most significant impact on his life when he was alive.
This novel follows the life and death of a man named Eddie, 83 year old man working at Ruby Pier. Ruby Pier an amusement park, there he has been a ride operator and mechanic for many years.
It begins with the last day of his life, one of the rides fails and he gets crushed by a passenger cart while trying to save a young girl. After death, Eddie goes to heaven and meets 5 people. He expects he’ll experience a lush garden of paradise however Eddie finds Heaven to be a place where your earthly life is explained to you by a number of people. Each person helps Eddie understand different parts and the unseen connections of his life.
-The first person Eddie meets in Heaven is the Blue Man. The Blue Man was part of the freakshow attractions at Ruby Pier. He tells him “there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.”(like this quote v.v.much)
-Second person Eddie meets is his captain from the Vietnam War. The captain said, “Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.” The captain sacrificed his life for the rest of his team. Sacrifice isn’t bad if it’s helping others.
-The third person meets is Ruby – the Ruby of Ruby Pier. Ruby explains to Eddie his relationship with his father. Ruby admits that Eddie’s father had been absent during his life, she says, “Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside.” Ruby shows Eddie how his father died – attempting to save a man’s life. At this point, Eddie realized how great a man his dad was…
-The fourth person Eddie meets in Heaven is Marguerite, his wife. Marguerite was the only woman Eddie ever loved. Eddie wishes he could have spent more time with her on Earth. Marguerite explains, “Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different from, that’s all.” If you love someone, even from afar, even if they are gone, it’s still love.
-The fifth person Eddie meets in Heaven is Tala. Tala is the girl who was in the fire and was the shadow that Eddie saw(in Vietnam). Tala is a young girl and badly burned. Tala explained that Eddie’s salvation lies in the work he did: keeping children safe in the amusement park. “We are all right where we’re supposed to be”. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to others. Focus on our own work and let the world take you where it needs you most.

We are all connected- every act we perform will have a direct impact on someone else. We may not realize it, but someone will be affected. You never quite know what the impact of a simple good deed will do for someone else!

– TS