Book #43 - Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood

Just visualizing Zac Efron as the tortured Charlie St. Cloud made reading this novel that much more enjoyable.

Okay, it wasn't the only thing that made it enjoyable. I'm glad Charlie St. Cloud was made into a movie, because otherwise, I don't know that I'd ever been exposed to it. And that would've been a shame.

This book had all the elements that make a good book, at least in my opinion. I'm not talking about Pulitzer Prize winning literature. Instead, an interesting, heartfelt tale that makes the weekend that much more satisfying because you're curled up with it. It's a love story, with a supernatural twist and a pinch of a mystery, all rolled into one. Like I said, can it get any better?

At times I felt like Nicholas Sparks should've written this novel. The story seemed reminiscent of his many books I've read before. But what made it Sherwood's (and not Sparks') was the supernatural element of Charlie being able to see and communicate with spirits. He meets he younger (dead) brother Sam every day at sunset in the cemetery to play catch because of a promise he made when they were in a terrible accident, which also happened to be the cause of Sam's death. Charlie is paralyzed by his catch date with Sam, and has stopped himself from living his own life in order to keep his promise. He then meets Tess, an accomplished young sailor about to set off on a solo race around the world. Charlie and Tess fall in love but the relationship is not without it's difficulties. Ultimately, Charlie learns that he needs to rejoin the living to set himself free, and that his brother will be with him always, regardless if they meet to play catch every day.

The book really made me think about the balance of life and loss, because it's a delicate line to navigate. You don't want to seem like you're moving on too quickly, but then you can't get stuck in the past without driving yourself mad. But, if you're lucky, like Charlie finally is, you'll be able to figure out the best way to move past the tragedy and loss in your life, and take advantage of the opportunities that are still left for the taking.