Weaving together the story of his fractured relationship to his mother with research into her paranormal abilities, Dr. Christian Smith has created, in The Scientist and the Psychic, a captivating, one-of-a-kind memoir of belief, skepticism and familial love.

Christian Smith realized his mother was different in the autumn of 1977 when he was eight years old. Before then, he’d witnessed seances at home and the kids at school sometimes teased him about his mom being a witch–so he sensed that his life wasn’t typical. But it wasn’t until he was backstage at a renowned concert venue in Toronto, watching from behind a curtain as Geraldine commanded an audience of 2,000 with her extrasensory readings, that he understood she was special. As Geraldine’s only child, he would assume the role of the quiet observer while she guided a live CBC broadcast of a seance; made startling and consistently accurate predictions; and eventually moved to LA to work with the parents of murder victims–and with convicted murderer Jeffrey R. MacDonald. Over time, the high profile and emotionally depleting work affected Geraldine’s health and relationships. Addiction took over her life, and her son pulled away.

Fast forward to the present day: Christian is a molecular biologist and Geraldine is retired and in poor health. They are closer than they’ve ever been, and now he gives us the story of her undeniable perceptual abilities and pioneering work as a psychic–and endeavours to make scientific sense of it.