‘The Stranger In The Lifeboat’ is a roller coaster of twists

Mitch Albom, in his fictional novel, “The Stranger in the Lifeboat” does a masterful job of telling about billionaire Jason Lambert’s inviting many highly intellectual and ultra-wealthy people on his $200,000,000 yacht, the Galaxy.

The object was to come up with ideas that could change the world on the Grand Idea Voyage. The yacht exploded off the coast of West Africa, killing all on board (40 plus people) except nine individuals whose lives for the moment are spared by ending up in a lifeboat. The original nine people on the lifeboat include five people invited to participate in the conferences on the Galaxy and four crew members. Two others are added to the lifeboat’s passenger list as Rom Rosh (another name for God) gets into the lifeboat and Alice, a young girl is pulled into the lifeboat as she is floating nearby on a deck chair from the yacht.

The book has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster that keeps the reader on his toes and adds more questions to his/ her list, all of which are explained later in the book. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that even though the book is a work of fiction, several parts of the story reminds one of stories in the Bible.

Albom is quite organized and keeps the reader concentrating as he divides his book up with many short subchapters entitled: “Sea” (what is happening on the lifeboat), “Land” (happenings on land), and “News” (used to discuss many of the characters on the lifeboat and tell what the media is discussing about the calamity). Each of these three chapter subtitles appear numerous times and is not always chronological.

The added male passenger on the lifeboat tells all members they will be saved from the dilemma they are in if all on the lifeboat believe in Him.

“That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).

Some believe and some do not. There are key characters on the lifeboat, one of whom is Benji, who keeps a comprehensive log for his dear Annabella who is not with them. Benji writes about how his cousin, Dobby, asked him to assist in blowing up the Galaxy. Benji refused and assumed Dobby blew up the yacht.

However, later it appeared that Benji was the culprit. He thought Mr. Lambert was responsible for getting Benji’s mother pregnant and shortly thereafter left them. The aforementioned Jason Lambert speaks roughly to Rom Rosh, tries to harm Him and throws Alice into the sea. Lambert brags about his great wealth, at which point the others on the lifeboat asked him what good his wealth would do for him now.

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mark 10:25).

Rom Rosh performed many miracles while on the lifeboat. He calmed the storm while the winds and sea were battering the lifeboat.

“The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown.’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm.” (Luke 8:24).

Even when Rom Rosh brought one of the lifeboat passengers back to life (as He did in the Bible on more than one occasion). Rom Rosh also provided food and water to the lifeboat members. It was said on the lifeboat: “But as with any miracle left long enough in man’s hands, more earthly explanations arise.” (page 47).

Roughly a year later, Rom Rosh found the empty lifeboat in the Caribbean Islands 2,000 miles away from where the Galaxy sank and reported it to Chief Inspector

Jeff LeFleur from the island to investigate. The only thing that the inspector found on the boat was Benji’s log in a plastic bag, which he kept a secret.

Their meeting was quite “fortuitous” because Jeff’s 4-year-old daughter, Lilly, had drowned. Jeff and his wife, Patricia, had no time for God because He took their daughter and they were in despair. Rom Rosh, working with the LeFleurs, provided a peace with them about losing Lilly and they turned to Christ once again.

Of the 38 books I have reviewed, I would place “The Stranger in the Lifeboat” in the top three. “He has written seven number one New York Times bestsellers, and his books have collectively sold more than 40 million copies!” (From the book flap).