faith when all else fails

*SPOILERS AHEAD!*


​

I read this in record time given my usual snail-pace! As such, I have honestly not a whole lot to say, given that the actual execution of this novel's interesting idea was very "meh" for me. 
I wish this weren't the case, and this is certainly not a reflection of how awesome of a writer and human being I think Mitch Albom certainly is! My conclusion is that the story's gripping book jacket blurb did its job in gripping me, but only for the approximate first 10% of the actual book. After that, I felt like the back and forth format of "Sea," "Land," and "News" was only serving the story to connect different plot puzzle pieces, rather than additionally building the story's emotional weight. 
I think there was a lot of potential for the "unreliable narrator" lens to better flesh out each of the characters catalogued in the notebook. Instead, the news reports that give highlights of the characters, explaining why they were on the yacht in the first place, only gave me snapshots of their wealth and public image. They blended into a lot of different names without faces as I read, which led to some minor skimming.
My favorite takeaway from this novel is its display of morals and themes surrounding grief and the idea that you can live your life as a reflection of God's grace and choose to cling to faith even when all else has failed. The constant back and forth question of if the man in the lifeboat really is the Lord or not kept me reading, but ultimately led to a conclusion that felt dissatisfying in its speedy explanation and straightforward descriptions. The pseudo "body swapping" from a man to a little girl felt jarring, though I understand the connection to childlike faith and belief without solid facts being reflected in this choice.
LeFleur's emotional arc and breakthrough via reading the account in Benji's notebook was another favorite part of mine. It felt more tangible in comparison to the reveal of a very unreliable narrator who ends up revealing himself to be alive at the end. I hope Benji goes to some serious therapy in addition to exploring his newfound faith and outlook on life.



Some of my favorite quotes from The Stranger in the Lifeboat:

"Sometimes silent people go unnoticed, as if their lack of words makes them invisible. But being quiet and being invisible are not the same thing."

"Despair has its own voice. It is a prayer unlike any other."

---