The Song of Souls

Our thoughts pull experiences, people, and even things into our lives. Or so say some. It seems only fitting then to have serendipitously stumbled on ‘The Memory Painter’ which explores my favourite themes of reincarnation, soulmates, and karmic entanglements.

I started this year with reading Gwedonlyn Womack’s stellar debut that spans centuries and continents to tell a tale of lovers who are destined to meet in every life only to separate. Within minutes I was completely engrossed in the story of Linz and Bryan. Linz is a neurogeneticist researching how the brain makes memories and Bryan is an artist with an unusual gift. Bryan’s painting are unique in that he paints memories of his past lives. Linz has been plagued by a nightmare ever since she was a little girl, a terrifying vision in which she sees a young woman being burned alive at the stake. When Linz and Bryan meet, it is a union (or rather a reunion) arranged by fate. They look into each other’s eyes and nothing is the same ever again. 

The novel progress through incidents that throw light on the previous lives of the central characters. A pattern of complex relationships that govern a group of souls emerges, slowly but surely. There is passion, betrayal, deceit, hatred, and murder!  Additionally, a sinister backdrop is provided by a group of scientists who discover a drug than can enable a remembrance of past lives only to die in an explosion before anything is revealed. How are these scientists connected to Bryan and Linz? What happened on the fateful day when they died?

In all their previous incarnations (a tad bit too many in this story) Bryan and Linz have remained true to each other. And in each life they have lost to a malevolent someone who stalks them across lifetimes, unrelenting in his animosity. They have been blessed with loyal supporters but their lives have always ended in tragedy. Will this life be any different? Can they break free from the pattern of the past?

The Memory Painter has an intricate and satisfying plot. It would have been easy to lose the reader in the maze of many lifetimes but Gwendolyn holds the tale together by expertly weaving all the lives into an understandable interconnected bigger whole. As the characters traverse a tumultuous course across lifetimes, their journey leaves us with some interesting realisations to ponder upon.

Just like Bryan, I found myself wondering if we are doomed to forever repeat our mistakes. How do we learn what went wrong? How do we stop?

“I am beginning to see a pattern and I find myself wondering if the laws of karma exist. Are souls destined to love or hate the same souls again and again? Or can we achieve some sort of resolution and enlightenment? If a tragedy is destined to be repeated, we need to figure out how to break the cycle.” 

While I have always felt a yearning to remember who I was in an earlier life, maybe some things are best left alone.

“In hindsight, I’ve realized that our minds shield us from memories that are meant to stay buried.”

And, if karma is truly a law of cause and effect then every person we meet is connected to us in some way though we may not understand the link between our lives.

“We found each other again for a reason. We remembered for a reason. The journey didn’t start with us or even with Michael and Diana. We’re locked in a cycle. We need to see beyond it.”

In lyrical but accessible language, the novel offers a bitter-sweet consolation to those who have ever lost a loved one.

“Our fates are intertwined. I will find you again and again until we build a bridge back to this life. Nothing is ever lost.”

While ‘The Memory Painter’ does invite some deep thoughts, it is not overly philosophical at any time. In fact, for those who like their thrills, there are quite a few unexpected twists and OMG moments to keep you glued to the pages till you arrive at the much awaited conclusion. 

My opinion: go get it! You can't go wrong with this one.

P.S.- On a lighter note, in my previous post I had promised myself I would roam the world through my reading. The Memory Painter took me to no less than 6 continents!