I originally bought this book only because the movie adaptation had just been released. I had seen the previews and knew it was something I'd want to watch. Knowing that the movie was first a book, like always, I felt that I needed to read before renting. I ended up scooping it from the check-out aisle at Wal-Mart late one night and upon getting home, throwing it in my bedside table drawer, forgetting about it until just a few days ago. Since then, Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood had ruled my life. It was almost as if it was glued to my hand. Even though it's an easy going, lower-level reader, captivation is not just a promise but a guarantee. A beautifully written, understandable, and heart-felt story of a man faced with many complicated decisions. Charlie St. Cloud survives a car accident that took his younger brother Sam's life. After this near-death experience, Charlie is left with a gift of being able to see, communicate, and interact with spirits caught in limbo. One of these spirits is his younger brother that he has promised to never leave. Charlie's unusual talent is not only a gift but a curse. As he falls into routine of keeping his promise to Sam, he is simultaneously forfeiting his own life. Even though the book is simply written, it is littered with the age old battles between life and death, faith and knowledge, holding on and letting go, as well as the past and the future. Thrown in the mix to make the story even better is the differenciation or lack thereof one sometimes must realize between unconditional love and tough love.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a quick, uplifting, and mesmerizing read or is wavering in their faith. Sherwood's Charlie St. Cloud is truly an underestimated gem of literature.