The Reincarnationist
Book Review

The Reincarnationist BOOK SYNOPSIS

The Reincarnationist tells a story of love, desperate desire, and fate. Josh Ryder, investigative photographer, is injured in a terrorist attack in Rome. From the time of his near-fatal accident on, he begins to experience what seems to be the lives of two other men, Percy in the 1800s and Julius in 386 A.D. These two lives are colliding with his present day causing him to feel unstable and "crazy" at times.

Proof of Reincarnation
He begins working with The Phoenix Foundation which deals with past life regression therapy for children. Although Josh is a grown man, he asks to work with them as a photographer in hopes that he will learn something about what he is experiencing.

The narrative switches from Josh to Julius to Percy and also includes the points of view of a colorful cast of characters - all connected to Josh in some way. Josh's goal is to find out the story behind a woman he only knows as Sabina. The idea that he must save her has completely taken over his life and he knows the only way to live "normally" again is to solve his past life mystery and come to terms with his fate.

QUEENIE D SAYS

What a fantastic book! It's pace and fight against the Catholic Church was reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code but the subject, in my opinion, was much more interesting. I've often wondered about reincarnation in my lifetime and although a fiction, this book made me feel like it is entirely possible that our souls carry past lives with them. What a fascinating idea that we continue to cross paths with the same souls in different lives. Gives a whole new meaning to the term "soul mate" in my mind. If Julius and Sabina were truly soul mates and because they were ripped apart so harshly, their souls can never be at rest until they find, and make right, their history together.

A Reincarnation Story that Provokes Deep Thought
I was intrigued with the notion that not all people are reincarnated. Rose's stance seems to be that the souls that are brought back in new bodies are the ones that have a past to reconcile. Mostly victims of a major wrongdoing who needed to figure out how to surpass or outwit the offending soul the next time around - and it can take several lives to do this!

The Reincarnationist is fast paced and the end of each chapter leaves you holding your breath, unable to put the book down and come back to it later on. The memory stones, an ancient artifact said to show it's owners all their past lives clearly, add the twist of mystery and also danger. Josh is desperate to find Sabina and save her once and for all and knows he can only do so if he figures out the mystery of the memory stones. This takes him down a dangerous path which results in an unexpected ending.

And on that note I'm going to say that I won't spoil the ending because this is a book worth reading but I'm certainly glad to be interviewing the author because I have some big questions about what happened and I want some answers!

Also a great discussion topic as religion/reincarnation are fundamentally at odds. Just be sure to respect all opinions and it should be a great conversation!

The Reincarnationist DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Which soul from Julius's past was Josh trying to save - Sabina or their baby?
2. What is the significance of Esme and Percy's story to Julius?
3. Is reincarnation possible? Is it probable?

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