Yeah, I also wondered if the addition of the Timothy Cavendish love interest and Adam Ewing's wife was a way of giving the actresses more parts to play and just emphasizing that ALL these souls are connected throughout time... But, it really comes across more like "this ONE COUPLE is connected across time" which definitely over-simplifies the stories in the book.

(And if you liked Somni in the movie, you should DEFINITELY at least read her parts of the book-- it's so much harsher and sadder, but also a lot more slowly paced and just... better.)