Podcast Summary

Podcast: Totally Booked with Zibby
Host: Zibby Owens
Episode: Mitch Albom, TWICE: A Novel
Date: October 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and insightful episode, Zibby Owens sits down with bestselling author Mitch Albom to discuss his new novel, Twice. Together, they unpack the story's central themes of regret, second chances, love, and loss, drawing connections to Mitch’s own life and previous work. The conversation navigates Mitch's creative process, the mechanics and message of magical realism in Twice, the emotional weight of grief and learning, and exciting news about a forthcoming film adaptation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction & Background

• Zibby welcomes Mitch, referencing their long-standing rapport and previous interview for Finding Chica, highlighting Mitch’s continuing exploration of profound themes.
  • [01:45]

2. The Premise of Twice

• Plot Summary
  • Twice centers on Alfie, a man who discovers he can re-do moments in his life, but must accept the consequences of his "second try." Notably, his power does not work with love – specifically, if you try for a “second chance” with love, the original love can never return in the same way.
  • Mitch: "If you have someone who loves you and you decide to go back and try somebody else or do a second try, that person... can never love you again the same way." [02:37]
• Themes of regret, the allure of second chances, and the dangers of “grass-is-greener” thinking are woven throughout:
  • "It's very much a kind of magical realism book about the grass always being greener... particularly when it comes to love." [03:40]

3. Origins of the Story

• Mitch often begins with a theme, not plot or character, using examples from Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven to illustrate his process.
  • "I don't really decide on a character or a plot. It's a theme—one of those slices of a theme." [04:02]
• For Twice, the core question: "What if you could do things differently?" and "Would you really want to?"

4. Narrative Devices: Suspense & Detective Structure

• Mitch details the addition of Vincent Laporta, a detective, to create suspense and mirror the reader's skepticism about time travel.
  • The investigation into Alfie’s alleged casino crime frames the narrative and allows for direct interrogation of the story’s "rules."
  • "The detective is the reader. So I beat you to the punch because I allow him to ask all those questions. And it becomes part of the plot..." [07:01]

5. The Role of Grief

• Alfie’s first use of his power stems from the loss of his mother as a child, an event that profoundly shapes him.
  • "What if you did get that moment again with the person that you lost? How would you do it differently?" [09:00]
  • Mitch discusses his personal connection to this theme, referencing his mother's inability to speak after a stroke and wishing for more time.
• The 12 small things Alfie’s mother loves about him are lovingly scattered throughout the novel.
  • Zibby: "You scatter those throughout the book, which is so beautiful, and helps him live and become a better person." [11:01]
  • Mitch: "That's what moms do, right? They help us become better people." [11:01]

6. The Limits of Second Chances

• Alfie (and readers) learn there are immutable rules:
  • You can’t prevent someone’s death—returning in time won’t change their fate.
  • "If you go back in time, you can't affect that, right?" [11:43]
  • Used effectively in the book with Alfie’s failed attempt to save a friend.

7. Would Mitch Want a Second Chance?

• Mitch is candid about regrets:
  • "I could give you 20. Cause a lot of people seem to think... I have some Zen thing about my life...No, I would change, like, 50 things..." [12:41]
  • Ultimately, the lessons learned from mistakes are more valuable:
    • "If you kept getting second chances, you'd never learn a damn thing." (Mitch quoting Alfie’s grandmother) [14:05]

8. The "Fulcrum Line" of the Book

• Mitch identifies a key thematic sentence:
  • "If you kept getting second chances, you'd never learn a damn thing." [14:05]
• Zibby’s own nomination:
  • "Our best choices often come when we have no choice." [24:04]
  • Mitch affirms this, sharing a harrowing story from his time running an orphanage in Haiti, highlighting how absence of options can lead to decisive, life-saving choices. [24:19–27:13]

9. Approaching Loss

• Mitch reflects on how decades of writing about loss have shaped his view:
  • "The only whole heart is a broken heart." [27:28]
  • Importance of gratitude and perspective: focus on what was gained, not just what was lost.
  • Reference to his own grief for daughter Chica and the phrase: "Why is it that when you have loss, you always talk about what I’ve taken from you? Why is it that you never talk about what I’ve given you?" [28:38]

10. Adaptation News: Twice Goes to Netflix

• Netflix secured the film rights before the novel’s release; Paul Weitz (About a Boy) is writing the script.
  • "For the first time in my writing career the book was like chased after before it came out and there was a big bidding thing and so Netflix won it..." [23:03]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the theme of second chances:

  • "If you kept getting second chances, you'd never learn a damn thing."
    — Mitch Albom [14:05]

• On how grief shapes us:

  • "The only whole heart is a broken heart."
    — Mitch Albom [27:28]

• On gratitude amid loss:

  • "Why is it that when you have loss, you always talk about what I’ve taken from you? Why is it that you never talk about what I’ve given you?"
    — Mitch Albom [28:38]

• About making choices under pressure:

  • "Sometimes the best choices come when we have no choice."
    — Zibby Owens quoting the book [24:04]; expanded with context by Mitch

• On the detective-as-audience device:

  • "The detective is the reader. So I beat you to the punch because I allow him to ask all those questions. And it becomes part of the plot..."
    — Mitch Albom [07:01]

• On the meaning of mistake and growth:

  • "Every mistake that I made formed me for the next thing that I did and ultimately contributed to who I became..."
    — Mitch Albom [12:47]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:20] — Synopsis of Twice: Alfie’s time-twisting ability and its rules
• [04:00] — Mitch’s creative process: starting with theme
• [07:01] — Introduction of the detective and the plot’s suspense structure
• [08:29] — Impact of Alfie’s mother’s death, the origin of his power
• [11:01] — The emotional thread of the twelve “things I love about you”
• [12:41] — Would Mitch want to live parts of his life twice? Regret and growth
• [14:05] — “If you kept getting second chances, you'd never learn a damn thing.”
• [24:04] — “Our best choices often come when we have no choice.”
• [27:28] — How loss shapes us; broken hearts and wholeness
• [28:38] — Perspective on loss and gratitude
• [23:03] — Film adaptation news and process

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is warm, reflective, and filled with moments of gentle humor, self-deprecating honesty, and wisdom familiar to fans of Mitch Albom’s writing. Zibby’s curiosity and enthusiasm create a welcoming space for deep conversation, while Mitch’s openness about regret, grief, and hard-earned growth lends the episode an intimate, authentic feel.

Conclusion

This episode offers listeners not only a rich preview of Twice—its plot, themes, and emotional stakes—but also an expanded view into the heart and mind of Mitch Albom. With moving stories from his own life, thoughtful digressions on grief and gratitude, and behind-the-scenes insight on an upcoming Netflix adaptation, this is essential listening for Albom fans, readers interested in the puzzle of second chances, and anyone reckoning with the joys and sorrows of their own life story.