And why he thinks this is his best writing yet.
I love Mitch Albom. Ever since he wrote Tuesdays with Morrie, I’ve looked forward to his books. They’re always full of wisdom and humanity. His newest book, The Little Liar, just hit shelves and is about the intertwined lives of three young survivors of WWII. Unfortunately, it’s especially relevant right now given the rise in antisemitism we’re seeing across the globe. Of course, Mitch didn’t realize how relevant it would be when he wrote it.
I plan on devouring The Little Liar over the holidays, but before I dive in, I chatted with him about his latest gift to the world and why he thinks his writing has resonated with so many readers.
Katie Couric: Mitch, I love your books and your writing. This one is set during WWII. What was the inspiration for the story?
Mitch Albom: I wanted to write a book about truth and forgiveness. Setting it during the war, when lies were so prevalent and forgiveness so needed, seemed to be the perfect setting. I had heard a testimony by a war survivor about how the Germans would trick Jewish people into lying to their own people during the war, and I thought this would make a great backdrop for a piece about the truth in lies.
Your books, in many ways, are like modern morality plays. Can you give us a quick synopsis of the plot?
A young boy who lives in a Greek city has never told a lie in his life. A young girl loves him for this. When the Nazis arrive, they discover this boy and his honesty and decide to use him as a weapon. They trick him into standing on the railroad tracks and telling the onboarding passengers that they’re going to new jobs and new homes. He thinks he is telling the truth. Only on the last day, when he sees his own family and the girl he loves being loaded into the boxcars, does he realize that these trains are actually being sent to the concentration camps. The book follows the consequences of that single lie for him, his family, the girl he loves, and the Nazi officer who came up with the idea over the next 40 years. He spends those years trying to be forgiven for what he was forced to do. And the young girl spends those years trying to find him to forgive him. In the end, forgiveness and hope prevail.
It’s really about the choices we make and the repercussions of those choices, isn’t it?
Yes and no. In this book, the choice was actually made for young Nico, the boy who never lied. But the repercussions were his to bear. The book asks the question, what’s the biggest lie you ever told? And what would you do to be forgiven for this lie? I think that’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves at some point or another.
Tell us about the roles guilt and shame play in the storyline.
Guilt and shame were a big part of those years. But just as interesting is the lack of shame that some of the German officers had in doing the horrible things that they did. The book examines all of this and shows how only a good and forgiving heart provides a path to surviving the long-term consequences of our traumas.
The themes of this book seem incredibly prescient given the rise in antisemitism around the world. Was this simply coincidental?
Yes, it was. I started the book several years ago. However, so many people have now read it and said they can’t believe how timely it is. I don’t deserve any credit for that. But sadly, books that deal with antisemitism are probably always going to be relevant at some point in world history.
You’re so prolific. You’ve written eight books that have sold more than 40 million copies. Wow! Why do you think your books have struck such a chord?
I think ever since Tuesdays with Morrie, I realized that books that make people think about their own lives can often strike a chord. Tuesdays with Morrie was popular not because I was such a brilliant writer, but because people saw themselves in either my character or Morrie’s character, and the issues that he dealt with, they dealt with. The questions that I had as a young man, the readers had at some point in their lives, too. That book taught me that if you can touch on themes that people are already wondering about and will continue to think about after they’ve read your last page, then you’re going to connect with a potentially large audience. I imagine that’s what’s happened with all the books that have followed Tuesdays with Morrie. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a book about how every life touches another life, and there is no such thing as an unimportant person. For One More Day dealt with the idea of getting to see a loved one who you’ve lost one last time. The Stranger in the Lifeboat was about accepting help, and what we’d do if God actually answered our prayers right in front of us. And The Little Liar is about hope and retaining hope, even in the face of the most difficult circumstances. It’s about seeking forgiveness and granting forgiveness. In that way, it’s like so many of the books before it.
On that note, how does this book compare to the others you’ve written?
It’s similar in that in the end, it’s hopeful and inspirational. It’s different in that it’s a little more historical fiction. Most of the events described in the book really happened, even though the four characters I follow are fictional. I like to think it’s my best writing, at least fictional writing, to date. But then, maybe every writer thinks that.
What has the reaction been to The Little Liar?
Happily, it’s been great. You can read some of the comments in places where people leave them. But many people to my face have said they feel this is the best book I’ve ever written as well as the most important. It’s got a surprise ending that everybody always talks to me about. And the enthusiasm with which they talk to me is very satisfying. I threw a lot of myself into this book, worked hard on the characters, and did a lot of research to make it ring true. The fact that many people around the world seem to be appreciating that is very gratifying.
