DIGITAL DOMAIN
Life is But a Dream - Cheryl Shireman (2011)
Cheryl Shireman's debut novel, Life is But a Dream, follows a woman facing an uncertain future. Grace built her entire life around her husband and daughter but they have moved forward with their lives leaving her behind, and alone. Grace has no idea what to do after a failed marriage, and the prospect of her only child going off to college. She is forced to redefine herself but she isn't sure if she can take control of her life and start over without them. She heads to a lakeside cabin for the summer to clear her head, and finds a wacky bunch of locals who have problems of their own. Like many people Grace struggles with inner demons, she isn't sure if she should take the easy way out and end her life, or find the strength to overcome her depression and realise her life is worth living for. This is a touching story of a woman whose life has become an emotional roller-coaster. This book has a little mystery and suspense, as well as romance, humour and some very unique supporting characters. (CF)
In her debut novel, writer Cheryl Shireman's Life Is But a Dream tells the story of a woman redefining herself and taking control of her life as she struggles to understand her present circumstances. The summary says: "The novel begins with Grace waking from a nightmare alone in a cabin on a secluded island in Michigan. Her beloved home, a beautiful grey Cape Cod with a white porch and gigantic hanging baskets of dark magenta petunias, has been repossessed. Her marriage has fallen apart after her husband lost both his job and his mother. Waking in the cabin, frightened and alone, Grace reviews her life and feels as if it no longer has meaning. She gets up, walks through the woods to the edge of the lake, and while standing on the pier and looking into the water, decides to kill herself. She cannot swim and has, literally, surrounded herself with the option of death. As the novel progresses, Grace tries to compose a suicide note to her soon-to-be ex-husband and determine the best method for taking her life, including some that are a bit comical and impractical. Like life, the process of suicide is more complicated than Grace had imagined." Life Is But a Dream is available in eBook format through Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. (CF)