The Passion of Elena Bianchi is first and foremost a love story. It also introduces the concept of “soul fractions,” a less familiar notion of reincarnation and one not hitherto presented in a work of fiction. Moreover, while Elena and Giovanni have apparently found one another, they soon learn that many forces have conspired to keep them apart, and Elena will later discover that one of these is the ancient Curse.
Okay; it’s a love story with supernatural elements. Couldn’t it be told without the hard-core kink?
Short answer: no!
Elena, as we learn quite early in the narrative, is a masochist. However, her pain is absolutely obligatory, and her spiritual growth depends upon it.
Giovanni is a sadist, but he, too, endures pain. His is a pain of a different sort, caused not by cane or whip, but by infamia. Through no fault of his own, he has suffered a shame “unworthy of human dignity on an individual or social level.” His character is irreparably besmirched, and in short order he loses his career, his girlfriend, and his job. He flees the USA in disgrace and stays with his aunt in Italy, where he eventually meets Elena.
It is only their pain that permits them to resist the Curse. Indeed, without it, they would never have overcome the many obstacles placed in their way. In the end, Elena must face the ultimate: death (to COVID), unless Giovanni can first overcome his own sense of infamia and his need for justice.
This discussion has reminded me of the expurgated editions of Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliette free of sexual allusions) and Mark Twain (Huck Finn without the “N-word”). While I might have allowed the protagonists to “retire to their chambers for an interlude of a domestic nature” or perhaps written some more socially normative love scenes, I would thereby have eviscerated a core element of The Passion: the pain. This option was indeed considered, but I rejected it on literary grounds.
I suppose that in a world still titillated by the bland fantasies of Fifty Shades, some readers may find parts of The Passion of Elena Bianchi difficult to read. I can but beg for their patience. Perhaps they will simply skim over certain “objectionable” passages; perhaps they will learn that people may be “different” yet still capable of immense love. Indeed, Elena and Giovanni are marvelous spouses and parents. Their mentor, Angela, has tastes even more perverse than theirs, yet she proves a truly noble character, also. Go figure!
I have willingly described these works as “dark-erotic, spiritual romance.” However, the kink is not the main focus of the narrative, and the books should definitely not be deemed pornographic.