The Interpretation of Murder
Posted by Merry Mao on August 5th, 2010
Title: The Interpretation of Murder
Author: Jed Rubenfeld
Publisher: Picador, May 2007
Summary: The year is 1909 and Sigmund Freud has arrived in the United States with his protégé Carl Jung for a series of lectures at Clark University. The same day of Freud’s arrival a young heiress is murdered, apparently by a serial killer. Another wealthy young socialite is suffering from amnesia after a second attack by the same criminal.
Dr. Stratham Younger, a thirty-three-year-old Harvard graduate teaches at Clark University. He is in New York to accompany Dr. Freud back to Clark. Younger finds himself caught up in the murder mystery, being consulted about the use psychoanalysis to help the young woman recall the attack.
The plot is multileveled and intricate and includes a rivalry between Jung and Freud, a conspiracy theory against Freud’s teachings, a fascinating episode on the construction of the Manhattan Bridge, and corruption in the New York city police force. I found the story riveting and the details of that period in New York’s history to be fascinating.
Recommended by: Barbara, Head of Children’s Services