The latest import from U.K. astrologist/novelist Adams (Tom, Dick, and Debbie Harry
) is a whimsical, poignant paranormal love story. After his girlfriend, Catherine, dies in a car crash, London science teacher Mark Buckle is devastated. On the morning of her funeral, he awakens to find her sitting on a chair in their bedroom. By nature a spiritual skeptic, Mark initially attributes the apparition to stress, but when the supernatural hiccups occur more often—HELLO blinks on the microwave; her favorite perfume tickles his nose; a John Edward–like medium relays convincing messages from Catherine—he's got to face the surprising facts. Catherine's spirit leads him toward reconciliation with long-lost friends, self-forgiveness for his caddish ways and the possibility of a new relationship with an earthly woman. Will she be an ex-girlfriend, a Christian virgin or Catherine's own sister? Adams keeps the reader guessing, just as Catherine does Mark. Though he despairs over all he's done wrong in the past, through Catherine's counsel Mark realizes that life is about making mistakes and then moving beyond them. Adams's ability to tackle heavy subject matter (infidelity, depression, death) with a light hand and light matters (dating, the bar scene, soccer) with respect is notable. Anglophiles especially will enjoy the plethora of Briticisms (brolly; primsolls; wonky; prat), and softhearted readers will agree that the answer to Mark's question, "Do you really think it's better to believe—without discrimination, without any kind of questioning?" is a warm "yes." (Feb.)
