I read the follow-up to M.J. Rose’s The Reincarnationist, entitled The Memorist, and I may have liked it just a bit better than the first. It follows Meer, a young woman haunted by what her father believes are past-life memories, a view she vehemently disagrees with. When the reincarnationist association’s leader, Malachai, gives Meer a catalogue previewing a gaming-box once in the possession of Beethoven Meer begins a journey which forces her to confront who she was in another lifetime. An ancient song played on an ancient flute holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of past-lives, and Malachai needs it to validate his life’s work and Meer needs it to validate her present life.
Like The Reincarnationist, The Memorist is a little convoluted and complicated. But I suppose a novel occurring in several eras in which each character is (or was) several people would become fairly complex. I liked Meer a lot, and I feel that is what pulled me through this book faster than the first. I also loved the portions that occurred in 18th (early 19th?) century Vienna, with the eccentric and genius Beethoven. This novel only has one character carried over from The Reincarnationist, and while the first story is alluded to, I do believe this could be read as a stand-alone. I still don’t believe Rose captured the suspense that she was trying for in her writing and plot, but The Memorist was still a compelling read.
3.5/5
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