Review: Window Beyond the World
Lance Segundo’s midlife crisis takes a bizarre twist when he catches a glimpse of his brother, Art, and sister-in-law while driving down a mountain road. Both are long-dead. When he tries to discuss the incident with his psychiatrist, he is met with skepticism and admonished for mixing alcohol and prescription drugs. He accepts the doctor’s reasoning because there are pieces of his life that he can’t remember, such as why he and his brother had become estranged as well as the reason why he stopped partying with his friends.
Another part of him refuses to believe that the sighting of his brother and sister-in-law was an hallucination. His life takes another twist when he meets Naomi Lake at work. They take an instant liking to each other, which quickly turns into a romantic relationship. When he confides in her about his experience, she helps him try to understand it and face it.
Naomi goes with him to the spot where he saw his brother, but stays behind when she sees Art waiting for him. The brothers slip twenty-five years back in time, when they are trying to hike to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a trip which their father had tried and failed. It is here where we begin to see the other side of Lance Segundo and experience his journey toward redemption.
Overall, this is a very good book. The authors try to cover a lot of ground in terms of the afterlife, the paranormal, spiritualism, and near death experiences. They succeeded, for the most part, although at times I found myself reading information dumps that interfered with the story. Despite this irritation, I was riveted to the story, its supernatural elements, and especially the plot twists. Recommended.
