The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Whispers of the Story 

On a cold night in 1896, journalist John Moore is dragged from bed to witness the gruesome murder of a young boy, Georgio “Gloria” Santorelli, a cross-dressing child prostitute. With the help of alienist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, Moore joins a secret investigation into a series of ritualistic child murders. As the body count rises, Kreizler’s unconventional methods—psychological profiling—lead the team, including secretary Sara Howard and detective brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson, down a dark path. On their way to discover who the murderer is, the team faces corrupt police officers, threats from the underground mafia, a divided society and attempts on their lives. 

At the heart of the story is trauma — the past trauma that shapes the killer, the present trauma that affects the team, and the societal trauma of a poor and fractured city.

Review of The Alienist by Caleb Carr 

This novel is amazing from so many points of view, I don’t even know where to begin. It depicts the dark side of Victorian society when a boy who no one cares about is brutally murdered showing clearly the social and ethnic discrimination in the society at the end of the 19^th century.  It also portrays the first steps in psychology studies in understanding the mind of a criminal and attempting to track him down by analyzing victim patterns.

The plot unfolds against a historical backdrop, with intricate details depicted with extraordinary creativity. Moore’s journeys frequently involve traversing the streets of Manhattan in a carriage, where every building and residence he passes is meticulously illustrated. The level of detail is so thorough that you feel immersed to the point where those structures appear to still stand, both on the upper and lower sides of Manhattan. Also, the characters depict the moral system and social stratification of the society in that century. Maybe the fact that a woman who is employed as a secretary is so well-versed in handling a gun and at detective work seems a little farfetched. I do not say that it is impossible, I am sure there were women who did not conform with the society norm, I am just saying it does not seem likely to happen.

The social class inequalities are vividly depicted, particularly the hardships of impoverished immigrants, their inability to overcome their circumstances, and their desolation. They live in deplorable conditions and frequently resort to desperate measures to survive, while the more powerful, such as the police and the mafia, take advantage of them. Those in higher social strata frequently choose to ignore the suffering of the poor, and even those with good intentions are advised to turn a blind eye.

The murders are cleverly planned to demonstrate the consequences of childhood trauma. In this novel, the victims play three roles in my opinion. The first is to demonstrate the poor living conditions of immigrant children and the lack of sympathy from authority and society in cases of wrongdoing on their part. The second role is to demonstrate that these boys were forced to engage in sexual activities with men in order to survive, demonstrating that in those historical times, not only women were forced into prostitution, but also boys. The third role is to demonstrate a recurring flow that occurred here, in which the victims were abused by a man who was abused as well as a child and even decided to take the name of the abuser.

Another significant aspect in the background is the portrayal of resistance to innovation. People exhibited a strong reluctance to embrace Kreizler’s novel theories and methods, which were rooted in the study of the human mind. This resistance was evident both in the realm of psychology as a valuable tool in apprehending serial killers and in the sphere of comprehending childhood trauma and attempting to treat it. The police officers also displayed considerable hesitance towards the novel techniques introduced by the Isaacsons. They failed to grasp the wealth of information that could be collected from a deceased body or a crime scene, including the intricate details and clues that could aid in capturing the murderer.

The characters are carefully crafted, and their struggles and pursuit of justice are palpable. This is most noticeable in Moore’s case, where he appears to distance himself from the harsh realities of poverty at times, but in other moments he immerses himself in the depths of slums to gather information. When interacting with members of high society, he appears to conceal information about the people he meets and the case he is working on, as if he is embarrassed. His transformation is the most pronounced throughout the story, undoubtedly influenced by the case, which causes him to see the world in a new light.

Kreizler, on the other hand, has an incredibly strong moral compass. He comes across as almost too perfect at times in his efforts to protect those around him, particularly vulnerable people such as children. His upbringing, coming from a strict and unsupportive family, has had a profound impact on his life, leaving him seemingly incapable of expressing emotions or forging emotional connections with others. His allure is enhanced by his mysterious, enigmatic aura.

Sarah is the type of woman who knows her worth and tries to prove it by fitting in with men. She, like Krizler, controls her emotions very well, attempting to remain brave at all times. It’s ironic that Kreizler was the one who attempted to stir up emotion from her when he told her about the woman who murdered her baby. It was a test, and Sarah performed exactly as Kreizler desired. Based on their similarities, I think a special bond was formed between these two, a very strong non-sexual bond. Sarah was the only one who understood Kreizler.

I must admit that the Isaacsons were my favorite characters. I admire the way they interact, their shared enthusiasm for their jobs, and their optimistic personalities. They clearly enjoyed putting new innovative methods in forensic science to the test and were willing to fight the system to prove the value of the new techniques. I admire people who are eager to learn and discover new things.

Overall, I found the novel to be very intriguing. The mystery case was engaging, with numerous plot twists. To be honest, I was more interested in the characters’ relationships than in catching the murderer at times. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery that takes place in a historical setting. Caleb Carr wrote more books in the Dr. Laszlo Kreizler series about this team solving various mysteries. There is also a Netflix series based on this novel, which I enjoyed a lot because it almost entirely followed the events in the book. So take a look. 

Happy reading!