I guess I should start off by saying yes, I did buy a book with Zac Efron on the cover, and yes, I am okay with that. Maybe now is a good time to get one of my deep, dark secrets off my chest: I have seen all three High School Musicals, and I even went to see the stage version at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse last summer. And I enjoyed it! I have the tastes of a 12-year-old girl, and I am not ashamed to admit it.
Zac Efron, however, is not the reason that I purchased Ben Sherwood's novel Charlie St. Cloud. The truth is, the movie looks great from the previews I've seen, and I hate seeing a movie before I read the book, because usually the book is way better. We can discuss exceptions to this rule at a later time. Charlie St. Cloud was originally published as The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, and I'm hoping that the title was the only thing that was changed for this edition, since it always annoys me when books get edited after a movie is made. There aren't any notations on the book, but the presence of Zac Efron's pretty face kind of makes me worry that the book has been dumbed down for teenyboppers.
Charlie is a teenage boy that gets along remarkably well with his little brother Sam. So well in fact, that when the two boys are in a horrific car accident, they make a promise to each other to always stay together. Years later, Charlie is found working at the cemetary where his brother is buried...and seeing, talking to, and playing catch with Sam every night as the sun goes down. Charlie, at 28, has given up school, girlfriends, basically life itself, just to stay with his little brother. Then along comes Tess, a gorgeous sailmaker, who just might be responsible for Charlie coming to life again.
Charlie St. Cloud was a really quick read, so much so that I thought it might be considered a young adult read. Regardless of it's genre, it was enjoyable. I think it would be a great beach read, and definitely worth reading before going to see the movie.
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