4DRAKE discussion

Charlie St. Cloud was dead, along with his brother Sam. Charlie was simply the one lucky enough to come back to the world of the living. Before returning, however, Charlie promised Sam that he would never leave him. The promise will be kept at all costs, even after Sam passes on. Charlie dedicates his life to keeping that promise. He took a job at the cemetery so he could live at the groundskeepers' cottage, and makes sure he's there every day at sundown, because Charlie was given a gift when he nearly passed on: the gift of seeing spirits. Charlie spends his life meeting with his brother every day, and never really forming relationships that may take him away from his brother. That is, until Tess Carroll walks into Charlie's life. Tess is the woman that makes Charlie really take his life into consideration, and she makes him realize that sometimes even though you're alive, you're not quite living. A time comes when Charlie must decide between being with Tess and being with Sam, and Charlie's inner struggle with this choice brings serious thought about love, responsibility, and guilt.

This was a very interesting book in my opinion. I'm really not someone who reads books that are heavy in romance, but even though Sherwood puts a lot of focus on Charlie's relationship with Tess, I still managed to find the book very enjoyable. I think this is because Sherwood brings about very serious topics such as life after death and how to move on from a loved one's death, so there is somewhat of a distraction from the romance. Sherwood also wrote this book very well in my opinion. He gives great explanations for things, and really doesn't leave much unanswered. There is one problem I had with the story that was somewhat of a major problem to me; Charlie has to choose between Sam and Tess later in the book, but Charlie's thoughts aren't explored too deeply here. I felt like this should have been heavily emphasized, as this would be a great time to bestow some lessons onto the audience, but it feels somewhat skimmed over. Regardless, I still enjoyed reading this book, and would give it a 7.5 out of 10.