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A “gentling soul” is “a truly genuine and humble person who fully lives in his or her soul… within an impaired body,” someone with a neurogenetic disorder who has chosen to embody a physical space to bring a message to earth. This story is told from the perspective of one such soul named Asina. The reader is brought through her soul’s memory to a time when she met with an assembly of souls and the Divine Mother in heaven, and where she was given the decision to inhabit an earthly body in order to “infuse the earth with innocent goodness.”
The reader follows this soul through present-day experiences interspersed with memories of Asina's past lives, first as a ten-year-old girl named Hana, who Asina comes to discover is her great-grandmother. In the present time, Asina processes the loss of her brother, which is intertwined with her dream experiences of Hana growing older and discovering certain neurological deficiencies in her children that are passed down through the family. As Asina explores her family history and reflects on her own story, she begins to see certain hereditary phenotypes emerge, along with patterns of love, loss, and hope weaving throughout her ancestors’ heritage.
This is a unique and loving portrait of a family affected by a genetic disorder, portrayed as a soul that has existed through many lifetimes. Asina is an incredibly sympathetic character. The author deftly thrusts readers into the tale as they travel with Asina in the dream world and as she grapples with the newly diagnosed, although long-present, hereditary disorder in the real world. The narrative artfully grounds the practical realities of caring for neurocognitively diverse family members through the protagonist’s spiritual wisdom and visions. This is an enlightening, enriching, and encouraging work that will leave readers with a sense of peace and hope.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review