[Review] The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud - Ben Sherwood

Title of Book:  The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
Author:  Ben Sherwood
Publisher:  Random House Publishing Group

In a snug New England fishing village, Charlie St. Cloud tends the lawns and monuments of an ancient cemetery where his younger brother, Sam, is buried. After surviving the car accident that claimed his brother's life, Charlie is graced with an extraordinary gift: He can see, talk to, and even play catch with Sam's spirit. Into this magical world comes Tess Carroll, a captivating woman training for a solo sailing trip around the globe. Fate steers her boat into a treacherous storm that propels her into Charlie's life. Their beautiful and uncommon connection leads to a race against time and a choice between death and life, between the past and the future, between holding on and letting go — and the discovery that miracles can happen if we simply open our hearts.

                I chose this book for my February monthly keyword reading challenge. I’ve heard about the movie but I didn’t know that I have the eBook. So, when browsing through my folders to look for an eBook which title contains the keyword for February, I found this. Mainly this book is about miracles and second chances. Since some people said that this book is good and some said that this book is one of those tearjerker books, I had expectations. I thought that this book, could make me cry or at least sob like Sparks’ books. But it didn’t.
                This book is about Charlie St.Cloud who lost his brother after an accident when he was 15. He drove along with his brother to see baseball game. When I read this chapter I was like ‘no! You’re only 15! Don’t drive the car! There will be a bad thing if you do!’ and he did. But hey the story won’t start if he didn’t get the accident. He survived the accident but his brother didn’t. Apparently after the accident Charlie’s given a gift that makes him able to see ghosts. Despite of what religions and beliefs said about death, hell, and heaven, in this book (let’s call it St. Cloud universe) after a person died, he/she will be ‘in between life and death’ then that person could choose to crossover to the afterlife. Since Charlie has experienced the ‘in between’, before he was saved by a paramedic called Florio, he has the ability to see the ghosts of people that still ‘in between’.
                After the accident Charlie lives his life as a caretaker of a cemetery. He can’t be too far from the cemetery because he has promised his brother to always be with him and play catch with him. Then one day a woman named Tess comes along. This is the part when Charlie finds out that there’s an exciting life outside the cemetery. In the end he has to choose between Tess and his brother.
                Yes, this is about second chances. Charlie survived the accident and God gave him the ability to see ghosts for a reason, and I don’t really get excited about the romance between Charlie and Tess. I could guess what really happened with Tess. It’s almost the same with Demi Moore’s old movie, Ghost. What I like more is the connection between Charlie and his brother. Charlie thought that he has to pay the price for his brother’s death. But the truth is he just holds on to his brother’s death and not moving on with his life, even though God has given him second chance. That affects Charlie’s brother too. He can’t do the crossover because of that. It makes me think that sometimes it’s okay to let go. You can’t hold into something that doesn’t exist anymore. Some people might find this book a bit cheesy or whatsoever, but I’m quite enjoying this book.    


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