Janis Heaphy Durham walked into the bathroom of her home one year to the day after the death of her beloved husband, only to stare in amazement at what appeared to be a handprint on the mirror. This was just one of many strange things that had happened since Max’s premature death from esophageal cancer at age 56. Was Max trying to contact her from beyond the grave? In her gripping new book, The Hand on the Mirror: A True Story of Life Beyond Death, Durham reveals her own awakening to possibilities beyond the material world.
Durham is the former publisher of the Sacramento Bee, which earned two Pulitzers during her tenure. She relies on her background in journalism to investigate the supernatural events following Max’s passing, though that very background also prevented her from sharing her experiences for many years. Afraid of losing her credibility as a newspaperwoman, she talked about the events with only a few friends. After she realized how many people had had similar experiences, she began to be more open about what had happened to her.
Durham spends much of the book describing her encounters with leading parapsychologists as she tries to decipher the messages she believes Max is sending her. Whether or not the reader accepts her story as true, Durham’s book is a moving account of how we deal with loss and how many of us hope for reunion in the next life. Particularly touching is the account of her mother’s decline and death, which demonstrates the possibility of change and the power of forgiveness, even at the very end of life.
This article was originally published in the May 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
