Reincarnation is accepted by followers of many religions, notably Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Moreover, with the advent of “New Age” influences in the United States and Western Europe, a significant number of people outside of the aforementioned groups now accept the possibility to at least some extent. A 2018 Pew Research Center study reported that 33% of Americans believe in reincarnation.
However, most people tend to think in linear terms. Jack died and was reincarnated as Peter; Peter died and was reincarnated as Eugene, and the progression continued.
The Passion of Elena Bianchi presents an alternative by developing the idea of soul fractions. This concept, hitherto unknown in a work of fiction, is by no means original. Indeed, the belief that one person may possess multiple “souls” is found in many locations around the globe.
The central design behind soul fractions is that when we die, our volitional (or karmic) energies are released. However, they do not necessarily pour into one future identity; they may instead disperse into a number of people. These future personalities, or “next” lives, may in turn draw their karmic energies from many different sources. Some sects believe we inherit karma from thirty-six past lives, although others reject the notion of any such fixed number.
The rest of the mystery has a mathematical solution. If the soul fraction is small, it does not manifest significantly in the person’s life. However, if the fraction is larger — whatever number that may be — some of the karmic crises may once again come to the fore. Moreover, if two people have had a relationship of some sort (enemies, friends, lovers, murderer and victim, parent and child, et al.), the respective fractions may manifest as a recapitulation of the prior relationships and challenges.
Of course, this concept does not get developed until the later novels, but I shall nevertheless present a “sneak preview." A dying man placed a curse on his unfaithful wife and her lover: that they would never consummate their marriage. As circumstances developed, they died before they were able to wed, and the curse thereafter took on a life of its own and became the Curse (capital “C”). Over the next 2,000 years, whenever the couple's soul fractions became sufficiently large, the Curse successfully blocked the ill-fated lovers.
At long last Elena and Giovanni (my heroine and hero) have a chance to triumph over the ancient malediction. Now the battle lines are drawn, and the Curse must destroy them in order to survive.
Well done! Fascinating concept explored.