Book Review: The Time Keeper

Author:Mitch Albom
Title:The Time Keeper
Publisher: Hyperion
Publish Date: Sept 4 2012
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: From the author who's inspired millions worldwide with books like Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven comes his most imaginative novel yet, The Time Keeper--a compelling fable about the first man on earth to count the hours. The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, 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.

Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is

Review: I heard so much about this book last year. I remember seeing a segment on it on Good Morning America.

That had me intrigued, but as my TBR pile is so massive, I didn't grab a copy, partially because of its short length and the other part being so many other commitments.

Well the book showed up in our library's ebook page so I decided to give it a go.

Mitch's writing style reminded me a bit of Richard Paul Evans. Very sentimental and very heart wrenching.

The story is told from 3 points of view, Sarah, a teenage girl, Victor, a wealth businessman dying of cancer and Dor, Father Time himself.

This is a very quick read. I found it very engaging, though the story was a bit choppy, switching between so many points of view, as a result it was a little harder to connect with some of the characters. I think Sarah was the character that suffered the most. You could feel all her teenaged angst but there was something missing from her. Whereas with Victor and Dor, you had a more rounded character. You knew what made them tick, so to speak.

Dor's story is the most fascinating, as it should be, him being the inventor of time and Father Time. You see his life at home and how he became fascinated with measuring things. He was an ancient geek! Pun intended.

Becoming Father Time is his punishment. Perhaps it is a good one too. The story's moral is to appreciate the time that you have because it is precious, and you don't know how long you have.

This may be a short read, but it really packed a punch.

Rating: 5 flowers