The Memory Painter

Gwendolyn Womack

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Bryan Pierce, a painter who learns to draw from past lives, experiences vivid dreams that he translates into his artwork. When neurogeneticist Linz Jacobs recognizes her recurring nightmare in one of Bryan's paintings, their meeting leads to a journey through time and memories. The novel weaves together history, science fiction, fantasy, and romance as the protagonists uncover their intertwined past lives and face a potential enemy hidden in their history.

The plot unfolds in a richly woven, multi-leveled narrative where relationships are revealed through Bryan's dreams, offering glimpses into varied historical periods and different characters. With elements of mystery, time travel, and conspiracy, the story builds towards a climactic ending that engages readers with unexpected twists and turns.

Characters:

The characters are complex and well-developed, featuring strong leads whose emotional connections drive the narrative and impact the story across different lifetimes.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is vivid and engaging, beautifully blending various genres and immersing readers in a richly detailed narrative.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot intricately weaves themes of reincarnation, dreams, and artistic expression through the lives of two interconnected characters as they unravel their pasts.

Setting:

The setting shifts across diverse historical periods and locations while also grounding elements in a modern-day context.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally fast and engaging, particularly towards the climax, though some parts may feel slower to certain readers.

The paintings hung in the dark like ghosts. Too many to count—not an inch of wall space remained. The canvas eyes looked alive in the darkness, staring at their surroundings as if wondering what alche...

Notes:

The main character, Bryan Pierce, experiences vivid dreams of past lives, which he paints.

His paintings depict historical events and figures, often from dreams he cannot control.

Bryan believes his dreams are flashbacks to his past lives, leading to his artistic talent.

Linz Jacobs, a neurogeneticist, recognizes one of Bryan's paintings as a scene from her childhood nightmare.

The painting shows a woman being burned at the stake, a recurring vision for Linz.

Bryan and Linz feel an instant connection when they meet but struggle with the implications of their pasts.

The story includes themes of reincarnation, memory, and a mysterious research project on Alzheimer's disease.

The research project, Renovo, was meant to cure Alzheimer's but led to tragic accidents instead.

Characters travel through time, revealing connections to past lives over thousands of years.

The narrative blends historical fiction, romance, and elements of science fiction.

The author, Gwendolyn Womack, won the 2016 RWA PRISM award for this debut novel.

The intricacies of past lives lead to ongoing conflicts between characters through generations.

Bryan's experiences are tied to a larger conspiracy involving the misuse of memory-enhancing drugs.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of death, trauma related to previous lives, and mental health challenges.

Has Romance?

The romance between Bryan and Linz is a central element of the story, with their connection deeply rooted in past lives.

implied steam level

From The Publisher:

WINNER OF THE RWA PRISM AWARD FOR BEST TIME TRAVEL/STEAMPUNK AND A FINALIST FOR BEST FIRST BOOK

A thriller, a romance, a 10,000-year adventure…The Memory Painter is "the guy-meets-girl story as you've never heard it before" (Refinery29).

Bryan Pierce is an internationally famous artist, whose paintings have dazzled the world. But there's a secret to Bryan's success: Every canvas is inspired by an unusually vivid dream. Bryan believes these dreams are really recollections-possibly even flashback from another life-and he has always hoped that his art will lead him to an answer. And when he meets Linz Jacobs, a neurogenticist who recognizes a recurring childhood nightmare in one Bryan's paintings, he is convinced she holds the key.

Their meeting triggers Bryan's most powerful dream yet-visions of a team of scientists who, on the verge of discovering a cure for Alzheimer's, died in a lab explosion decades ago. As his visions intensify, Bryan and Linz start to discern a pattern. But a deadly enemy watches their every move, and he will stop at nothing to ensure that the past stays buried.

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About the Author:

Originally from Houston, Texas, Gwendolyn Womack studied theater at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She holds an MFA in Directing Theatre, Video, and Cinema from California Institute of the Arts. Her first novel, The Memory Painter, was an RWA PRISM award winner in the Time Travel/Steampunk category and a finalist for Best First Novel. She now resides in Los Angeles with her husband and her son.

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