Reincarnation Essay Rough Draft~~

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn is about a love that spans the lengths of years, generations, and centuries. In prehistory, a young man and women fought over a jewel, and although the time they had together was short, the attraction is lasting and eternal. Over time, fate continues draw them together, and they feel a strange connection and attraction each time, although it's unexplainable. The novel tells about their love over the centuries, and in the different settings, situations, and relationships.It's a story of two souls that always find their way back to each other each cycle they are reincarnated. There are multiple characters in a sense, they have somewhat similar yet different personalities, but either of them always have a fear of fire, many times when they were reincarnated, several times, one of them had a weak ankle, but always, in each cycle, they come across some type of green gem, which is what they both fought over and died over when they first met.

Each time they are reincarnated, they often are already married, or engaged, or there is some obstacle that keeps them from being able to be together. In one cycle, the father disapproved of it, and she was already set to be engaged to someone else. Many times, they fall for each other through their meeting, and they feel a strong bond and odd connection to each other, one that makes them feel as if they have known each other before, although in their lifetime, they never remembered the other. They instantly grow close and form a strong bond with the other, but most times, one of them is killed by someone who sees their love and is jealous of it, so they try to get rid of the other, or in one case, the girl died because of a misunderstanding between her and the boy because of a jealous girl that loved the boy, and didn't understand their relationship, and why she was unwilling to give up her current life in praise of Athena, for the suitable mate instead.
I've read a lot of romance novels, but they can often seem cliché afterwards, when I review the story in my mind and realize the overall story of what basically happened: guy and girl fall in love, but it's an impossible love, they go through all these hardships just to stay together, or sometimes the guy falls for girl, but the girl doesn't love him, and he fights his way through to woo her, or some other ones, but it's still generally cliché.

Reincarnation is different, it talks about a love that is accepted and encouraged, but because of a wrong turn of events, each generation and rebirth of their soul in which they meet, they are unable to stay together. Their parents and society disapprove of it, they're formerly married before they meet, or the most common, the other dies. They face multiple experiences, each different from the next, allowing readers some variety in the love story between the two. But through each time they meet, something other that the odd connection they both feel to each other is common. There's always a green jewel, a beautiful earring, a stone, and other forms.

The first time, they encounter, it is a stone/rock.
Still he held on to her, unwilling to release his grip. He would not let go of her or the green prize. (24)
In this story, the two souls die time and time again, but still, they still have a story. They fight over the rock, and both are connected for eternity.

Unlike the often perchance meeting and falling in love in many romance novels I come across, the two souls in Reincarnation come across each other coincidentally often, but when they meet, there's still that instant attraction, but they get a feeling of déjà vu that I've never read from any other romance novels.
As she sipped the water she studied his hazel eyes and brown curly hair. "Have I met you before?" she asked.
"I don't believe so. I'm not from around here."
"I just experienced the most overwhelming déjà vu. Do you know that expression?" (pg.249-250)
Their strong bond is also shown when they meet each other, in one of the first times they met each other as Samantha and Jake:
He smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Every time I look at you I feel like I'm trying to remember something that I can't get a hold of."
"Me, too," she said.
"Really?"
"Really." When she looked at him she felt it, too. It was something she felt was just out of reach, like trying to recall someone's name that she once knew but could no longer quite call to mind. (pg. 288-289)
Because it is always the same two souls meeting time and time again over the centuries, they have a stronger connection with each other than couples from other romance stories. They feel some odd connection between them when they first meet, but because it was in a past life, they are unable to point out exactly from what they recognize the other.


Although the book was very interesting, there were still a few weaknesses, in my opinion. The book seemed to have a structure to it, but it was inconsistent. It started with a small introduction to the reincarnation of the life, then the death, which is narrated by the one that passed away, then there's a transition, sometimes about the transition between the time they are reincarnated again at the same time, before they go back into the actual reincarnated life between the two souls again. Sometimes though, the introduction is omitted, or the transition from the time between the death and the time both of the two souls are reincarnated again at the same time. There was always the actual story of when they were both reincarnated, and the part immediately following it, telling readers of how all the soul left the body, and the feelings behind their death and parting from their love.