The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

“Heaven is always thinking about us.”

This aphorism, provided by the narrator, lays the foundation for the entire novel. When Annie dies, she discovers the extent of Interwoven Human Connections, and that these connections become clear after death. In the novel, “heaven” is set up as a place to experience resolution and find out the truths that elude people in life. As moments pass on Earth and lives are bound forever, a plan unfolds for how these moments will be used to teach important lessons when life ends.

“No story sits by itself. Our lives connect like threads on a loom, interwoven in ways we never realize.”

One of the novel’s primary themes is the way Interwoven Human Connections become the essence of existence itself. Each person that Annie meets in heaven is somehow connected to her in a significant way, and each of those people is connected to many more. Annie views her life as a series of mistakes, but each person she meets helps teach her that those “mistakes” actually affected many others and all had deep purpose.

“Do you know what causes wind? High pressure meeting low pressure. Warm meeting cold. Change. Change causes wind. And the bigger the change, the stronger the wind blows. Life is much the same. One change blows in another.”

Wind is used as a symbol of change in the novel. It is first introduced when Annie and Paulo’s hot air balloon meets a strong wind and is blown into some power lines.