About the Book:

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud tells the haunting story of a young man who narrowly survives a terrible car wreck that kills his little brother. Years later, the brothers’ bond remains so strong that it transcends the normal boundaries separating life and death. Charlie St. Cloud lives in a snug New England fishing village. By day he tends the lawns and monuments of the ancient cemetery where his younger brother, Sam, is buried. Graced with an extraordinary gift after surviving the accident, he can still see, talk, and even play catch with Sam’s spirit. But townsfolk whisper that Charlie has never recovered from his loss.

Into his carefully ordered life comes Tess Carroll, a captivating, adventuresome woman training for a solo sailing trip around the globe. Fate steers her boat into a treacherous storm that blows her back to harbor, to a charged encounter with Charlie, and to a surprise more overwhelming than the violent sea itself. Charlie and Tess discover a beautiful and uncommon connection that leads to a race against time and a desperate choice between death and life, between the past and the future, between holding on and letting go.

Luminous, soulful, and filled with unforgettable characters, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is one of those rare, wise books that reveal the mysteries of the unseen world around us, gently transforming the worst pain of loss into hope, healing, and even laughter. Suspenseful and deeply moving, its startling climax reminds us that sometimes tragedies can bring about miracles if we simply open our hearts.

About the Book:  ★★★★★★

I have no idea what made me pick up this book and start reading.  At the time I was reading it, several people asked me what it was about, and I had a hard time answering that question without making it sound ridiculously sappy, or morbidly strange.  That is a question I still find myself trying to answer.

At first exposure, I thought the book would be about a boy that survived a car crash, but never recovered from the psychological effects of having lost his brother, in that same accident.  And on the surface, this would be an appropriate description of the story.  However, as I reflected on the story further, I found that there was  some interesting recurring themes found in this book.

Most of the topic deals with loss, grief, and the process of healing through letting go, following the loss of a loved one.  But it is told through story format.  I found it an interesting approach to this topic.  The story of Charlie St. Cloud, and his complete devotion to his brother — that forces him into a position to have to make a choice between letting Sam go, and going on living — or holding on, and losing his own life in the process, is touching — but frustrating at the same time.  At times I found myself wanting to scream “move on already!”

The relationship between Charlie, and his younger brother, Sam is interesting — if somewhat unusual.  Since the majority of this story takes place in a cemetery — it is a very abrupt shift when the real world intrudes into this realm of the dead, it almost feels like a violation, from the perspective of the reader.  I am still trying to decide if this was a tactic used by the author to get the readers attention — and to get the reader to identify with how difficult it is in dealing with things in loss, life and death; or if this was simply that the author just became so focused on the story in the cemetery, that he forgot about descriptions and the existence of the real town where Charlie “lives,” and therefore was a little gauche in introducing these elements in the story.  I am inclined to think it is the first, since it was an effective tool for forcing the reader into identify with Charlie, and the choice that he was facing.  But there are parts of the book that I still wonder about.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I think that there is a lot more to it — if the reader is willing to invest a little time and reflection on what the meaning behind the story is.  Since, like with all books, what you get out of this one is all determined by what you, as the reader, are willing to put into it.

Tags: Family, Friendship, Grief, Loss, Love, Memory, Suffering

Category: Fantasy, Fiction, Philosophy