I have been a fan of author Mitch Albom since his first bestseller in 1997, “Tuesdays with Morrie." His compelling novel to help others lit up the literary sky. He does not disappoint.

He has gone on to have eight No. 1 novels on the New York Times bestseller list. So, I had no hesitation when his newest book, “Twice,” hit the book counter. And I was not disappointed.

Changing his theme once again, this novel takes a totally new twist – one of a love story mixed with make-believe. But despite the theme, I couldn’t put it down. And that was a bit strange for me. I am not a big reader of romantic stories or unbelievable science.

I do not want to give away the entire book, but I feel compelled to think some things through with my readers. How many times in your life did you make a mistake or take the wrong path? What if you could change the outcome by reversing time a bit – or a lot – and take a second run at the topic? It could be a job interview, a missed kiss with that sweet other person or a blunder in your sports event that caused your team to lose.

Give me another chance. I can get it right knowing what I learned on the first horrible chance. Wouldn’t that be great?

Or would it? If you could go back and run it again, who’s to say that what followed would be a totally new path?

Thus, we get to the book. The main character has a mother with an unbelievable skill. She can tap her leg and mention the word “twice.” The world then reverts to the time she wants to retry some event. All the people in her life are reversed in the same way.

Then, it becomes apparent that the son also has this skill. He doesn’t really understand how he is able to reverse time until he confesses to his mother that he can move back in time and give it another shot. That’s when she shares her secret ability and understands that her son has inherited this trait.

The book starts as the main character, Alfie Logan, is being questioned by a detective, Vincent LaPorta, in Nassau. The suspect is being accused of stealing from a casino by betting the same number on a roulette table multiple times. The suspect has played the same number for continuous spins of the wheel, always letting all his winnings ride on that number. The number wins continuously, and the take is hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This never happens legitimately in the real world, the detective says. There must be a scheme or collusion with the employee running the game.

Instead of confessing, the suspect gives a composition that he has written to the detective to read. The writing by the suspect is directed to the suspect’s “boss.” There begins the unusual life of an 8-year-old who discovers that he can change the future by setting back time and then proceeding forward with a fresh start.

The writer, now quite old, in his papers admits that he is dying, and it is time to clear his past with this unusual ability. He writes that he has had this ability to have a second chance at everything ever since. Do-overs or rollbacks. Call it what you will, but it is life twice.

Alfie, in the writings, shares his love for a young girl when they were both 8 and living in Africa. His parents were missionaries in Kenya, as were the parents of the young girl, Lallu, or “Princess” in the local language.

During that stay, his mother was on death’s doorstep when he went to sleep one night, but as he awoke, all was different, and his mother was recovering. She had done the “twice” move, but unlike others, the son was able to remember both happenings.

His mother was able to talk to him, but she told him a weakness of the “twice” ability. Although it would change the approach to the original date, it could not change dying. She dies later that day.

The accusations of defrauding the casino would make sense if one could go back and see the spin of the roulette wheel before betting. As the book continues, Alfie shares multiple examples of doing it “twice,” including falling in love with Lallu when he totally messed up any chance of romance the first time.

Sure, the story is strong in the make-believe aspect, but it does make you think of when in your life you may want to set time backward and change a painful outcome. I can think of perhaps not studying hard enough for an exam, or taking that pitch as a ball when it curved over the plate and I struck out. Or maybe even marrying the wrong person.

But stop. If your life turns out to be acceptable, then making these second tries might have had other consequences. Maybe you would have gone a different direction in your work life. You might have missed meeting that woman who became your wife and the mother of your children.

Mr. Albom has now sold over 40 million books. His subject matter has ranged from helping a dying man to “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” and “The Stranger in a Lifeboat.” The whole idea in so many of his writings is to make his reader think. And he does not disappoint.

· Dennis Marek can be contacted at llamalaw23@gmail.com.