In the village of Marblehead, Mass., 28-year-old Charlie St. Cloud has spent his adult years taking care of the lawns and monuments of the cemetery where his younger brother, Sam, is buried.

After surviving the car accident that took the life of 12-year-old Sam — Charlie himself initially crossed over the line separating life from death in a classic near-death experience — Charlie was graced with the ability to see and connect with the spirits of the deceased people buried at the cemetery, including the spirit of his brother.

Charlie, who had built a replica of their childhood home at the edge of the woods near the cemetery, would grab his baseball glove and toss a baseball into the darkening sky every evening. The spirit of Sam would then step from the forest to retrieve the baseball. Sam “was unchanged after these years, still twelve years old with unformed brown curls and a Rawlings baseball mitt under his skinny arm. He wore a Red Sox cap and jersey, baggy shorts, and black high-tops. Oscar (the family’s dog who was also killed in the car crash) sprinted from the underground, tail held high. With soulful eyes and his distinctive yowl, he too, was the same as before. The dog nipped at Sam’s scrawny knees, then yelped at Charlie. ‘C’mon, big bro,’ Sam said with glee, ‘let’s play catch.’ ”

The boys, although three years apart, were best friends growing up, united in many ways. Both boys were staunch Red Sox fans. The day came when Charlie made a disastrous decision after acquiring two tickets to a Red Sox vs. Yankees baseball game at Boston’s Fenway Park. The boys were home while their mother was working the........

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