Paraphrase is a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage
descent noun (RELATION) [ U ] the state or fact of being related to a particular person or group of people who lived in the past: She's a woman of mixed/French descent. They trace their line of descent back to a French duke.
The word harrow in this passage means that the writer could narrate a story so hunting that will agonize your soul. A story so twisted that even the lightest words will sound hunting to the reader. The word harrow up, in this case, can be a synonym of <u>torment.</u>