Book Review: Mitch Albom "The first phone call from heaven"

This novel is an exploration of the vulnerability of those suffering with grief. Losing a loved one is very hard and often there are things that you wish you had said to them when they were still alive. A small town in America gets that opportunity when selected residents start receiving phone calls from heaven. They recognise the loved ones voice and although they are tempted to keep it to themselves, the news gets out and a media circus ensues - together with many wacky religious groups wanting to get in on the act. The main protagonist, a recent widower who has suffered in other ways, wants desperately to prove it a hoax. The incidents provoke an epidemic of hope and high church attendance. Perhaps the novel is an examination of what people consider as hope. I liked the fact that one of the recipients of the phone calls disconnects all her phones as she cannot live with the upheaval of not moving on from the loss of her dead son.
I will not say more about the story because to do so would inevitably introduce spoilers. The premise is a good one, and the book will not upset people of faith. But herein is the weakness of the novel. Unlike the powerful book "Tuesdays with Morrie" also by Albom, this book is poorly written, with confusable shallow characters. Some will read it as inspirational spiritual fantasy but that doesn't get away from the fact that it is poorly written, with an unbelievable, fantastic plot, and a writing style that uses too much of the passive voice. As a quick relaxing read I enjoyed it but it is pointless to look for anything deep or significant in the work as it is not there.