Interpretation Of Murder, The (original 2006; edition 2006)

I found the beginning of this book quite boring -- it's well researched, I think, and the descriptions are vivid, but I just didn't get into it. I didn't get close to the characters or feel particularly excited about the plot.

Doesn't help that I'm not terribly interested in Freud and his theories -- books where famous writers are the detectives are much more in my line. ( )

Overall, I did enjoy this story. It reminded me of "The Alienist" and "Angel of Darkness" by Caleb Carr, which I loved. I like that turn of the century time period. I like the mystery involved. But I felt like the last 20 pages or so was just to explain everything to the reader. It didn't do the actual story justice. I actually really liked the mystery part. I found myself constantly guessing and then changing my mind. ( )

Not one I intend to revisit. In fact one I almost didn't finish. It's a fictional murder set during Freud's visit to america. He didn't much enjoy the trip, and this book is a fictional account of some things that may have put him off a country that has since gone a bit therapy crazy.
Elizabeth Riverford is found murdered having been whipped & strangled while being suspended from the chandelier in her apartment. The next day, another young lady, Nora Acton, is found in a similar condition, but alive. She appears to have no memory of the event and had lost the ability to speak as a result of the trauma. This brings in the psychologists. It all gets a bit convoluted, with the clues pointing to several different suspects, all of which are them out of the frame and back in again. The detective in charge of the case happens to be one of those that can't be bought (one of the very few in the city at the time, based on this report) and he finally cuts through all the red herrings to get to a solution - aided & abetted by the physcologist Freud assigns Miss Acton to. Nothing wrong with the detective element, but I can't say I found much edifying in the relationship between Freud & Jung, and the details of their various schools of thought & behaviour all got a bit heavy going. I also found the way in which the crimes were described to be almost salacious in the detail and that just left a very unpleasant taste in the mouth. ( )

In 1909 Sigmund Freud makes his one and only visit to the United States. While in New York, he becomes involved in a police investigation after Elizabeth Riverford is found murdered, and Nora Acton survives a similar attack. After the attack in her own home, Nora suffers amnesia and becomes mute. Freud is asked to psychoanalyse her, but gives the job to his young follower Stratham Younger.

Rubenfeld is a man of many talents, a top US lawyer and Professor at Yale, he wrote on Freud during his undergraduate studies and has studies Shakespeare at Juilliard. All of these elements he weaves into one complex and highly readable novel, and he sounds convincing on each topic.

From the first pages, Rubenfeld sets the scene of 1909 New York and its upper society. He has the skill of imparting a lot of information, from New York’s grid layout to the mechanics of the caissons used in the construction of the Manhattan bridge (and the resulting danger of The Bends) and high society politics, without it detracting from the story.

Freud’s theories play a central role in the investigation of the mystery, including his Oedipal theory. I of course know the general idea behind the Oedipal theory, but somehow seeing it used in something of a case study gave it greater impact and heightened the disgust.

The characters are well developed, the setting is vivid and atmospheric and the mix of the psychological with more traditional detection is interesting. The psychological aspect in particular seems to raise the question of how much of what we do is rooted in our unconscious, and how much is free will.

My one criticism is that in one respect the ending is too predictable, but in another it is too unpredictable with no real hints given in the story.

But overall, I loved the The Interpretation Of Muder. It’s one of the most original crime novels I’ve read with its combination of the central mystery, historical fiction and psychology with even a little analysis of Hamlet. ( )

Good read. I found that the frequent changes of point of view were irritating initially, but acceptable as the pace picked up. In my opinion, the ending was a bit of a let down - I expected something more and came away with less. Nevertheless, this did not overly spoil my enjoyment of what is an otherwise fine book. ( )