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House of Giral

Mark Laurence Latowsky

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Jul 09, 2023 Bella rated it it was amazing

During a Saturday night jog in Florida, an obscure piece of music trivia comes to psychologist Jennifer “Jo” Hart. She has no idea why she knows this. In the next instant, she’s shaken by a memory of herself at age fourteen so visceral that she runs away before dropping to her knees. And then, as a stranger offers help, she can’t remember her own name. And when Siri answers her query perfectly – “Your name is Jennifer Hart. People call you Jo. Close friends call you JoJo” – she reacts violently. During a Saturday night jog in Florida, an obscure piece of music trivia comes to psychologist Jennifer “Jo” Hart. She has no idea why she knows this. In the next instant, she’s shaken by a memory of herself at age fourteen so visceral that she runs away before dropping to her knees. And then, as a stranger offers help, she can’t remember her own name. And when Siri answers her query perfectly – “Your name is Jennifer Hart. People call you Jo. Close friends call you JoJo” – she reacts violently.

By the time she wakes up in a mental health hospital after being involuntarily institutionalized, doctors are puzzled. Photos of her admittance show tracks in her arm, but there are no signs of opiates, alcohol or other drugs in her system. There’s no sign of a bacterial infection or anything else.

But the man mopping her room, Diego Guzman, looks familiar to her. Likewise, Diego also finds Jo oddly familiar. After having a near-death experience in which he recalled a past life in the 1920s, he has come to believe that he had a sister who was abused by their alcoholic father. Could this be her? And if so, could it be a chance to right the past regret that is now imprinted on his genome?

What follows is a riveting journey into an exploration of identity, reincarnation and science. Concepts such as genomic imprinting are fascinating when coupled with the prospect of knowledge and trauma carried forward from past lives. And the story is not merely limited to Jo and Diego. A certain doctor is believed to be “acting out unconscious compulsions and propensities which followed him” from a past life.

The first thing readers will appreciate in House of Giral is the level of medical detail. Author Mark Laurence Latowsky had a long career in family and emergency medicine that includes significant experience with addiction and mental health. Every word uttered between medical personnel feels authentic. Far-reaching discussions of topics such as insect-based genome research, hallucinogens, the nature of evil and more add to the fun – all of which Latowsky manages to connect to the larger narrative.

Readers looking for a thriller that will open their minds and spark the imagination will love House of Giral.

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Nov 27, 2024 Mark Latowsky rated it it was amazing

5 out of 5 Stars Review by Neto Onuoha.

“House of Giral” by Mark Laurence Latowsky is an intriguing medical thriller that radically explores psychology, revealing the mysterious depths of the human mind. The story unfolds with Jennifer Hart’s admission to a mental hospital after she became delirious while taking a jog. She was a Jungian psychologist and was being treated by Dr. Albert Young with unconventional psychedelics. She is seen sorting through jumbled memories, and in a bid to rediscover 5 out of 5 Stars Review by Neto Onuoha.

“House of Giral” by Mark Laurence Latowsky is an intriguing medical thriller that radically explores psychology, revealing the mysterious depths of the human mind. The story unfolds with Jennifer Hart’s admission to a mental hospital after she became delirious while taking a jog. She was a Jungian psychologist and was being treated by Dr. Albert Young with unconventional psychedelics. She is seen sorting through jumbled memories, and in a bid to rediscover her identity, she embarks on a forensic quest with some of her friends. Eventually, coincidental events, dreams, and nightmares subtly reveal the horrific sexual and physical abuse she experienced in her past life at the hands of her father, Pablo Giral. Read on to discover Dr. Young’s true intentions and get ready to uncover layers and layers of intriguing, mind-blowing facts, along with intricate plot twists that you would never have predicted.

The author skilfully explored themes of justice, resilience, pain, and reincarnation to tell an exciting and deeply introspective story. The theme of love and loyalty is beautifully expressed in the determination of Jo’s friends to embark on the journey of truth with her. The story sells the idea that a person’s DNA may bear the imprint of painful and traumatic events. This explains why Diego, who was a brother to Jo in his past life, also had flashes of the trauma his sister went through and his inability to protect her.

Dr. Latowsky’s career and training in medicine give the book a more realistic feel as medical procedures, psychotherapy, and laboratory test results are described and interpreted succinctly. I particularly love the author’s ability to make the story transition smoothly between the 1920s and the present as Jo Hart kept having flashbacks to her past life. I also appreciate the fact that Jo Hart’s character is strongly developed. The wealth of accurate information in the book tells greatly about the author’s attention to detail and the extensive research that was put into this book.

I have absolutely nothing to dislike about this book, nor did I find any typographical or grammatical error. This shows that it was thoroughly proofread and edited. I will award this book a solid rating of five out of five stars.

I thus recommend this book to lovers of paranormal thrillers, dark murder mysteries, and medical suspense. However, I do not recommend it to sensitive and very young readers, as there are several profanities and violent scenes in the book. Overall, this book is a very engrossing and thought-provoking read and will keep you turning the pages till you are done.
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