Formational book review by Megan

4/5 stars

“People are slowly dying everywhere,” he said. “They are also continuously living. Every moment they draw breath, they can find the glory I put here on Earth, if they look for it.”

The Stranger in the Lifeboat looks at how the help we pray for may not come in the form we expect or want. When a luxury yacht sinks, a group of people in a lifeboat naturally pray for rescue but are surprised when they pull someone in that claims to be the Lord.

Reading as a Disciple

“I am here Benjamin,” he said. “Whenever you wish to talk.”

            How do I view Christ in the moments when I want help? I know I can so easily fall into the view of God as a vending machine that I come to when I need something and I just have to put in the right “amount” to get what I want. Some may have the same thought as a few characters in the story, “A group of shipwrecked people think they have God in the boat? Why not pin him down? Hold Him accountable for all the horrors He allowed in this world?” The Stranger in the Lifeboat takes a common habit or thought and turns it upside down. Christ is always near waiting for us. It is a simple thought to come to Jesus daily, not for anything specific but simply for conversation, relationship.

The story brought a simple reminder of the relationship that God desires with us and is so easy for us to join in.

Reading Communally

“… what we yearn for most is comfort.”

The story mainly follows two characters, each of whom need rescuing in different forms. The overarching story begs the question, “how do we help others?” How do we as believers, offer help and hope to the people around us? This is sometimes easy to answer but less easy to act upon. How do you help a man like Jarty in the story, an inspector who lost a child years ago and has been distant and lost since? Or someone like Benji, who is bent upon revenge, formed by hatred? It is easy to see someone struggling to carry groceries and think you can “help” them by carrying their load but it is a whole different ball game if help involves those who don’t know they need help or perhaps don’t want your help. Help does not have to come in concrete scheduled forms, as Albom brings to life in the book. Being close to others in their grief and frustration, despair and hatred, is part of living in a fallen world, living in the body of Christ. Being a shoulder to cry on is actually uncomfortable for most people, especially when you don’t know the person well. We want to do something concrete but simply being present in someone’s life is the most help we can offer.

Final Thoughts

“Those moments are a gift. But their end is not a punishment. I am never cruel, Benjamin. I know you before you are born, I know you after you die. My plans for you are not defined by this world. Beginnings and endings are earthly ideas. I go on. And because I go on, you go with me. Feeling loss is part of why you are on Earth. Through it, you appreciate the brief gift of human existence, and you learn to cherish the world I created for you.”

The book was an enjoyable read and kept my attention. It was beautifully laid out and organized in a way that did not give away the story but kept you reading. This could easily be a book club read or at least a book to read with a friend. There is plenty to discuss and compare and contrast. I did not give it 5 stars as the ending got a little muddled and confusing; there was a switch in thinking that had to happen, which took away from the story.

Other Mitch Albom books:

Tuesdays with Morrie

The Little Liar

The Five People You Meet in Heaven