I was first introduced to Mitch Albom when I read “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” for an English class. Mitch Albom was originally hired as lead sports columnist for the Detroit Free Press as a replacement for Mike Downey. He then reconnected with his professor, Morrie Schwartz. This reconnection led to one of his NewYork Times bestsellers, “Tuesdays With Morrie,” which stayed on the list for four years in a row. Albom used some of the proceeds to help pay for Morrie’s bills associated with his treatments for ALS. The book was the catalyst that transformed him from a sports writer into an internationally recognized author.
Although I had not read any of his works before that point, I was intrigued within the first two chapters: it was the kind of book you just can’t seem to put down. I began to read other books by Albom. Albom’s books tend to be heartfelt and deeply personal, making them easy to fall in love with.
When I was discussing my interest in Albom’s novels, a teacher suggested that I should read his newest book, “The Little Liar,” which was published on November 14, 2023.
“The Little Liar” is a historical fiction about the Holocaust set in the 1940s that is focused on one Jewish family’s experiences. The story mainly focuses on Nico Krispis, a boy who never told a lie; Udo Graf, a midlevel Nazi commander; Fanny, who is a childhood friend; and Sebastian Krispis, Nico’s jealous older brother.
One issue I found with this book is that it felt too short. I feel like Albom could have gone into more detail about side characters. For example, Fannie has a backstory of how she is intertwined in Nico and Sebastian’s childhood, and while she does have a recurring presence in the book, I feel like we aren’t given enough details about her life. I also would have liked to read a more detailed description of Udo Graf’s early life. Albom does include brief descriptions of snippets of Graf’s life, but I would have preferred more context about the events that led to his position.
The story involves truth, love, hardships, and forgiveness. My favorite aspect of the structure of the book is that it is written from the perspective of the truth. The way Albom uses the perspective of the truth draws readers in, using lines like “But I am the shadow you cannot outrun, the mirror that holds your final reflection. You may duck my gaze for all your days on earth, but let me assure you, I get the last look” (Albom 7).
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