EVIL SPIRITS CAUSE CHAOS IN A PSYCHIC'S LIFE

An autobiographical look at one woman’s dive into the paranormal.

Debut author Foster never gave much thought to psychics until she saw Sylvia Browne (Psychic Healing, 2009, etc.) on daytime television. This led her to contact a local clairvoyant for a reading. It was through this reading that the author was informed she had the ability to channel energy and, with practice, she could develop her own psychic abilities. She was also told that she had a spirit guide named Karl. Karl later informed her, “You can do anything even if you don’t think so.” So began a journey into an esoteric world of spirits, divinations, and finding one’s purpose in life. As inviting as it was at first, the journey eventually turned into a harrowing one. The author put great time and effort into developing her abilities, with often disappointing results. In time she would come to understand that perhaps Karl wasn’t the helpful spirit guide she had originally believed he was. Then there were periods of distress and even hospitalization. All the while she would find some solace in her supportive but skeptical husband, Rex. But was she really meant to be a psychic after all, or was the whole experience one great, frightening misstep? Foster searches for answers in simple prose that, though low on description, is always clear. Whether or not one believes in a spiritual realm and those who can contact it, it is easy to empathize with the moments when the author was “scared and felt completely isolated.” That kind of honesty makes the parts that involve paranormal material particularly revealing. The author describes a world where, for instance, the idea of someone conducting a “spirit clearing” over the phone is hardly unheard of. At times, though, the book delves into more mundane subject matter. A wedding anniversary she celebrated with her husband in Hawaii was uneventful: “We were able to make happy memories I’ll always cherish.” Although such material helps to ground the more fantastical episodes, it does not always amount to electrifying copy. Nevertheless, the author’s earnestness shines through. She has a personal story to tell, and, as tormenting and even embarrassing as it can be, she aims to tell it.

A touchingly honest account of an average person’s otherworldly experiences.