Scott Bartlett's Taking Stock is a book that is capable of appealing to many different people. It is a book about a young man named Sheldon Mason who is dealing with a very deep depression. He meets his upstairs neighbour, a man named Sam, as Sheldon is attempting to hang himself. Sam wishes to help Sheldon get better, and because of this, Sheldon decides to talk to him about his issues since Sam seems very friendly and like he wishes to assist Sheldon in feeling better.
Sam assists Sheldon in getting help and even helps him get a job at a local grocery store. Sheldon is working there for a while before he notices some odd things about his co-worker Gilbert Ryan. Gilbert seems to know a lot about Sheldon, and in particular, about his mental health history and the fact that he had to be hospitalized.
Sheldon also gets a girlfriend, a girl from work named Theresa. Not only this, but Sheldon discovers there is a deeper connection between his boss Frank, and Sam his friend and upstairs neighbour. They have been having an affair! Gilbert convinces Sheldon to tell him immediately if he hears Frank and Sam in the upstairs apartment again.
As Sheldon gets more involved with his work crowd, he experiences a few episodes of being highly intoxicated or just plain high and and gets sick afterwards and has to take some days off work. This is part of his learning experience, so he learns from them and also he is learning from his experiences with not only Theresa, but also with a woman named Cassandra.
This book makes you question the connections between people and even shows just how well people are able to hide a secret relationship of some kind. It also displays the range of mental or emotional disabilities that can exist within a group of people. It shows. as well, the negative outcomes for people who are just not able to face up to their problems when they have them.
