Jed Rubenfeld, The Interpretation of Murder. Headline Publishing Group, 2006. 531 pp.
By Mayra Calvani
In 1909 Austrian neurologist and father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud made his first and only trip to the United States. He had been invited by the president of Clark University to give a series of lectures on psychoanalysis. This visit, however, has always been shrouded in mystery and it is believed that Freud left the country feeling nothing but contempt for the Americans. What really happened?
Thus enters Jed Rubenfeld's ambitious first novel, The Interpretation of Murder. In this suspense thriller, the author, the Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School, weaves history and fiction to offer a glimpse into what may have happened during Freud's mysterious visit to America. Taking this historical fact as a starter, the author begins his story in New York City in 1909.
A beautiful society girl was savagely murdered. In a high-crime area such as Manhattan, this by itself isn't an unusual incident. Except that the next day, another victim, also a stunning young beauty, is found hanging by the chandelier of a sumptuous penthouse apartment. This time the girl in question, Dora Acton, survives. However, she seems to have amnesia and remembers nothing about the attack, not even the face or voice of her attacker. The crimes coincide with the arrival of Sigmund Freud to America. Among his travel companions is his faithful disciple, Carl Jung.
Dr. Stratham Younger, one of Freud's American admirers, is asked by the police to serve as a consultant during the investigation and to analyze the victim in the hopes of making her remember the identity of her attacker. As Younger begins his psychoanalysis of the girl, he becomes more and more mesmerized by the girl. Is she really telling the truth, or is her amnesia an act? This is the main question that drives the enigma of the story.
Although Freud is also asked to be a consultant, his role is secondary compared to Younger. However, Younger often meets with Freud and Jung to discuss the investigation and their conflicting ideas and theories about the victim and the crime.
As Younger sees Nora on a daily basis, each time he's able to dig deeper into her psyche. He analyzes her dreams and tries to plunge into the shadows of her past, following Freud's strain of thought that her memory is anchored to a childhood trauma that has been repressed by her subconscious. Younger, however, doesn't follow Freud's ideas blindly and in fact keeps questioning them all throughout the story.
The Interpretation of Murder features a perverted, sadistic killer, the New York aristocracy of the early 1900's, an enigmatic puzzle, and fascinating, controversial theories about the subconscious. With all these elements, it promises to be an enthralling read. Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to its expectations for two main reasons.
First of all, there's no protagonist to identify with. While it may seem that Younger is the main character in the beginning, he is soon replaced by a fresh, rather naive young detective, Littlemore-the only likable character in the story-who controls whole chapters at a time, totally overshadowing Younger. Indeed, Younger disappears from the story for a big part of the book, making the reader wonder who is the hero in the novel. This by itself is a big flaw with any literary work. Most readers need to identify with a protagonist in order to fully enjoy a story.
Secondly, the last one-fourth of the novel, and especially the ending, is so convoluted with unbelievable twists and turns, the plot turns into a poor-and even funny-soap opera. The author tries too hard to create an unexpected, surprise ending, but, unfortunately, the result is lack of credibility and common sense.
That said, this is an ambitious work with lots of characters and subplots, and there are many positive things to say about it. The author paints a vivid, detailed picture of New York society at the turn of the century. The city itself, the streets, buildings, the aristocracy and their trivial way of life come alive in gritty colors. Adding to this is the interesting dialogue among Younger, Freud and Jung about psychoanalysis, the meaning of Hamlet, and Freud's ideas about religion and humanity. Among the subplots is the romance between Younger and Nora, as well as Freud's inability to give his lectures after the president of Clark decides to cancel them due to the nature of Freud's theories and his "scandalous" private life. The various subplots make the novel more complex but at times dilute its main focus, which is primarily the murder mystery. The author uses multiple points of view; some chapters are written in first person from Younger's perspective; the others are written in third person.
The Interpretation of Murder is a novel that will strongly appeal to students and fans of psychology. In spite of its flaws plot wise, the discussion of Freud's theories and the exchange between Freud and Jung are by themselves reasons enough to read this book. If anything, it is a book that educates readers about psychoanalysis.
Mayra Calvani is an award-winning author, reviewer and freelance writer.
