BOOK REVIEW: Charlie St. Cloud

Darn, missed the movie. This was one I really meant to see, but never seemed to make it to the theatre. (Actually, I did make it to the theatre lots over the summer, just never to this movie. But hey, I saw Despicable Me FOUR TIMES with youngest son, Conor – not even kidding.) Anyway, being a self-proclaimed book nut, I picked up a copy of Ben Sherwood's Charlie St. Cloud. Hey, why watch the movie when I can read the book? Let the images come to life in my own imagination? Let the magic flow through the world of the words on the page?

 Magic? Oh wow ... magic indeed. No, not Harry Potter-ish magic, though there is a definite supernatural element of course. But the author has woven an absolutely breathtaking and sweet tale. Teary me? Oh yeah.

 Charlie St. Cloud is an endearing character, as is his adored little brother, Sam. In fact, there are no 'bad guys' in this book. Hell, I was cheering for everyone. In the first few pages of the book, we witness a tragic car accident. Charlie lives; but Sam dies. Yet, Sam's ending is really only the beginning of a different kind of bond, a different kind of connection, between the brothers. After Sam's sad death, Charlie soon realizes his ability to see ghosts, and his life basically comes to revolve around the dead. He tends a cemetery, talks to the dearly, recently departed, and plays ball with his forever-young little brother every night in the the twilight hours. But oh how this is bittersweet, as life moves on around Charlie St. Cloud.

Yes, I loved this book. A page turned from beginning to end. Definitely on my keeper shelf, definitely recommended. Okay, okay, gotta confess - as soon as I finished Charlie St. Cloud, I ordered The Man Who Ate the 747, also by Ben Sherwood. It currently waits on my to-be-read shelf (I know what you're thinking ... how many damned shelves does this woman have?), but I guarantee it won't be gathering dust there.

by Heather the Jane