Sebastian Faulks

I’ve always enjoyed reading Sebastian Faulks and had high hopes for Human Traces, a story about the lives and loves, hopes and ambitions, turmoil and anguish of Jacques Rebière, Thomas Midwinter and his sister Sonia spanning 1860 – 1920.

Meeting by chance in Deauville aged 14, Thomas and Jacques swear allegiance to one another and the pursuit of “the way in which functions the mind of the human”. Despite their different backgrounds, training and viewpoints Thomas and Jacques become qualified ‘mad doctors’, form a partnership and open their first sanatorium with the indispensable help of Sonia.

The descriptions of a Victorian lunatic asylum - its patients, tunnels and ball; the African expedition – its footprints, mutiny, brains and all; Torrington House - upstairs and downstairs; Jacque’s childhood - silent stepmother, distant father and schizophrenic older brother moved, horrified, amused and saddened me by turn leaving me with vivid mental images.

Although the different schools of thought on psychiatry, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy and how the brain works are key to the development of the personal and professional relationship between Thomas and Jacques I found these passages too frequent, long and detailed so 4.5 stars for an otherwise outstanding work of fiction.

Descriptive, emotive, informative. Well worth reading.… (more)

This isn’t his best, but it is an interesting premise. It’s an interesting book in the sense that it combines elements of anthropology, family, saga, human development, human species, and a general character arc, which in playing out, can only be regarded as being monumentally, tragic. as always with him, there are links to psychiatry and delusional behaviour as well as psychosis. The last part of the book in particular, led to some considerable sense of distaste on my part. I do feel that he lost his trail a bit in this part of the story.… (more)