It’s a measure of Mitch Albom’s reputation and the strength of his storytelling that his new book secured a film deal before even hitting the shelves. The Detroit author has sold a staggering 42 million copies—and counting—and is set to add to that total with the recent publication of “Twice.” Featuring the magic realism his novels specialize in, the book sees protagonist Alfie discover he has the ability to jump back in time and undo past mistakes. Over the course of his life, he takes this course of action at key moments, initially to try to reverse family tragedy, then to try to win over the love of his life. Embarrassing moments, or missed opportunities? That’s no problem, he can simply go back and magically change things, with two big caveats. The story is a universal one, tapping into the questions we have all considered at some point or another. How might things have turned out differently with the benefit of hindsight, and the ability to revisit past actions?
Albom is well known to many readers, having penned “Tuesdays with Morrie,” an unexpected hit that became the best-selling memoir of all time. He followed that up with his first foray into fiction, the wildly popular “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” Those two books were made into movies, as were “For One More Day” and “Have a Little Faith.”
Once you’re going to create magic, your magic has to be consistent.
His latest book, “Twice,” breaks the mold in being immediately optioned for the screen. Netflix signed on the dotted line even before the book’s release, and commissioned Paul Weitz to direct it. Weitz was involved in the Kevin Hart drama “Fatherhood,” the comedy classic “American Pie,” the Apple TV+ series “Murderbot” and the Oscar-nominated “About a Boy.” In short, it’s a big deal. And so too is the book itself, which is imaginative, compelling and a cracking good story.
Fausto recently spoke to Albom about his latest work, his origins as a multi-million-book seller, his humanitarian work and what, if anything, he would change about his life were he gifted with the same power as Alfie.
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