In The Soul Up North by Eenam Vang, Jack Spade thinks about his brief, intense relationship with Jade Hearts, believing she was his soulmate. After her sudden death, Jack is consumed by grief and guilt, trying to reconcile his place in her life and his failure to intervene when she needed him. He interacts with those close to Jade, including her mother, roommate Lily, and ex-husband Ace, to learn more about her past. Jack becomes increasingly distressed when he looks into his own mistakes, particularly his inability to act when Jade was in a harmful situation. As Jack deals with his emotions, his relationships with others, including his best friend Ethan, deteriorate. Jack’s journey is marked by his attempt to understand the bond he shared with Jade and come to terms with the grave loss that he feels.

The Soul Up North by Eenam Vang is a unique work of literary fiction that focuses entirely on character-driven storytelling. I like that Vang uses the idea that a soulmate is still a soulmate whether you are with them for a minute or a lifetime, and you get the sense that the love Jack feels for Jade is true and real. Not everyone will love the lack of a traditional plot, but readers who adore a slow-burn search through love and loss, and feel that warmth primarily through dialogue, will find it here. The pacing is deliberate in a way that matches the meditative tone of Vang's work. I feel like I got to know who Jade was, not only to Jack but to all she touched, and her impact on those around her. Overall, The Soul Up North will sing to readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven fiction. Very highly recommended.

In The Soul Up North by Eenam Vang, Jack meets Jade seven days before she dies. Some people believe the symbol S on wrists is a sign of soul connection and others do not. For believers, it spells soulmate when the signs turn red for the pair. Jack struggled to accept that he would be living on earth without his soulmate so soon and wanted to know more about her in life. That takes Jack into different situations and people who knew Jade. Jack understood that Jade was also unhappy that their life together had ended before it could even begin. Fate played a painful role in their case, but that would not stop him from exploring ways to connect with her after death. He wishes he could have stepped into Jade’s shoes to see different versions of her, unfiltered, flawed, raw, unlovable, and yet still choosing her.

This story shows the vulnerability and anxiety of characters looking for their soul connection, finding it, and losing it. Having a soulmate isn’t necessarily just one person, but also people that could shape your life. Author Eenam Vang says limbic soulmates are when spirits or souls have already been pre-chosen as fate but end up meeting ahead of time during this life, or even during a lifetime too soon. The author shows in The Soul Up North that many variables play a part in the network we call life, even after death. As a reader, I could easily accept Eenam’s varied truths. This story is highly recommended to anyone interested in spirituality. Eenam skillfully weaves her views into the story to show how humanity has the freedom of choice to love on a soul level. Eenam is more than a fiction writer because I felt this story was real. Readers interested in different kinds of soulmates will enjoy this work as much as I did.