The Alienist by Caleb Carr

I was not really sure what to make of The Alienist before I started it. I got it in my December BOTM box when I saw that it was available and remembered that it was on the list of 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime, so I saw it as an opportunity to purchase the book. I was not planning on reading it right away, but I felt a little lost in what I wanted to read, so I went for it.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

In 1896, John Moore is summoned to a crime scene by his old friend, the alienist, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, to view the horribly mangled body of a young boy. Kreizler knows this is not the first time that such an atrocity has happened, and feels that it will not be the last. Kreizler has recruited Moore, a crime reporter, two detective sergeants, Lucius and Marcus Isaacson, the secretary to the police department, Sara Howard, and two of Kreizler's assistants, Cyrus Montrose and Stevie Taggert, with occasional assistance from the police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt. Together, they delve into unknown territory as they try to piece together who the murderer is by psychological deductive reasoning. Dr. Kreizler is already a pariah, since he is an alienist, but the entire team will find themselves subject to harassment as they try to figure out who is brutally murdering these poor, destitute boys from immigrant families, a faction of the community the rest would rather forget about.

Trigger Warning: This book and post contain themes of murder, mutilation, and child abuse.

On paper, this book had a lot going for it that I enticed me to it. It is essentially the beginning of criminal psychology and the BAU. The note at the start of the book describes an alienist. "Prior to the twentieth century, persons suffering from mental illness were thought to be 'alienated,' not only from the rest of society but from their own true natures. Those experts who studied mental pathologies were therefore known as alienists." But what scared me away from the book was the period in which the book was written about. As much as I love history, and enjoy non-fiction history books, historical fiction is always hit or miss with me. For one, the language used is always an adjustment. And two, I never know how much I can trust of what is being said. As I worked my way through this book, I would research something mentioned and found it to be very reliable. However, the first few chapters of the book were very heavy and felt a little unnecessary. I really thought about giving up the book during the first chapters. But I am so glad that I held out, because by chapter five, the plot was moving along nicely, I knew enough about the characters, and the plot was everything it was promised to be.

(Source: Giphy)

With my love of criminology, I felt like I was working alongside Kreizler and the group, trying to piece together what they knew of the crime scenes and victims, and what I have learned by reading and watching crime novels and shows to figure out who was behind the crimes. It was very interesting to read their hypotheses, which were very accurate, but at that time, extremely taboo. In the nineteenth century and earlier, it was not believed that people killed without having a reason. a persons psychopathy was not something even thought of, let along considered. The fact that Kreizler and Co. can piece together because this unknown man is attacking boys dressed as girls who attract a certain type of clientele means that he had issues with his parents as a child is boggling. It makes sense when you think about it with today's thought process, but that was not the thought process at that time. Each time they put another piece together, I was amazed!

The brutality of the crimes was something to be amazed by too, but in a completely different sense. The murderer is like Jack the Ripper on steroids. He removes eyes, hearts, hands; he slashes the body and removes chucks of the body; he admits to cannibalism. He is an utterly deranged person. I do not know how Carr came up with these ideas, but I would not be surprised if Jack, along with others, were influences when coming up with this horrible sadist.

"On the walkway was the body of a young person. I say 'person' because, though the physical attributes were those of an adolescent boy, the clothes (little more than a chemise that was missing a sleeve) and facial paint were that of a girl....The unfortunate creature's wrists were trussed behind the back, and the legs were bent in a kneeling position that pressed the face to the steel of the walkway...But what had been done to the body...

The face did not seem heavily beaten or bruised - the pain and powder were still intact - but where once there had been eyes there were now only bloody, cavernous sockets. A puzzling piece of flesh protruded from the mouth. A wide gash stretched across the throat, though there was little blood near the opening. Large cuts crisscrossed the abdomen, revealing the mass of inner organs. The right hand had been chopped neatly off. At the groin there was another gaping wound, one that explained the mouth - the genitals had been cut away and stuffed between the jaws. The buttocks, too, had been shorn off, in what appeared large...one could only call them carving strokes." (p. 16)

(Source: Giphy)

While the murders the murderer commits were horrible enough to read, there are two deaths in the book that I did not see coming, and they truly broke my heart. Even though this book is almost 15 years old, I am not going to give away those deaths; they made the book that much more deep and work as a catalyst for the characters decisions. It is not often that a historical fiction crime novel makes me cry, but these two deaths shook me to the core as I read. The first was so unexpected that I had to pause the Audible book while I was driving, pull into a parking lot, and catch my breath.

I started off hating the book, wanting to put it down and find something else; I finished the book ready to share it with the world and tell everyone they need to read it. I have purchased the second novel, The Angel of Darkness, and plan on starting it right when I finish this review. While it is not on the 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list, I can definitely see why this one is. It is eye opening and an experience for the reader. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in historical fiction or crime (true or fictional). If you can get through the first few dense chapters, you are in for something amazing! And while I have not watched it yet, it has been made into a series on TNT that stars Dakota Fanning, and I plan on tearing into that series, hopefully sooner rather than later!

(Source: Giphy)

Rating: 9/10
Author: Caleb Carr
Series: Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Book 1 of 3)
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Dates Read: December 30, 2019-January 5, 2020