The novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven was published in 2003 and is about a character named Eddie, who is a crippled veteran of World War II. Life has been hard for him, beginning with his birth to an abusive drunk who earns his living maintaining the equipment for an amusement park named Ruby Pier. The only bright and redeeming feature of Eddie's growing-up years is his mother, who loves him unconditionally but does not prevent his father from neglecting him, beating him and abusing him verbally and emotionally.
The story begins with Eddie's death at eighty-three years of age and then through flashbacks reveals his entire life. He wears a badge that reads "Eddie Maintenance." The children call him that, as if Maintenance were his last name. He is in charge of the rides.....
