The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
I like to read mysteries that take place during the Edwardian era. It’s a time free of cell phones, computers, and all the forensic sciences. The Interpretation of Murder deals with the science of psychoanalysis as part, but not whole, in the solving of a murder set in 1909 New York.
Doctor Stratham Younger escorts doctors Freud and Jung, who have come to America for a series of speeches, around New York. The three discuss and debate the Oedipus Complex while Dr. Younger assists the New York City Police with investigating two recent attacks on young women, one of which has resulted in a death. It’s an interesting idea and why I was attracted to this novel.
My grade of Mr. Rubdenfeld’s, A Yale Law Professor, The Interpretation of Murder is an “A” for effort, “B” for historical accuracy and content, and “C” for characters and story. The C grade comes the main character, Dr. Younger, and the police detective, Jimmy Littlemore, the character I liked the most, both falling in love with their female interest at first sight. One person falling at first glance I could accept.; two is one too many.
Detective Littlemore’s gal-pal is a hotel maid of Italian ancestry named Betty. Now I’m from New York and I don’t remember meeting any Italian women named Betty. This seventeen year-old woman who has to support her mother and three younger brothers speaks perfectly structured English and knows what is a deposition, remember it’s 1909, there’s no Law and Order on TV. Ah, sorry, she’s a little to savvy for a lower class domestic of the Edwardian epoch.
Littlemore has a sense of humor, which makes him enjoyable to read. Younger’s instant falling in love with Nora, one of the victims, made me like him less. I think Olé Doc Younger needs to spend less time figuring out other peoples’ issues and more time on the couch with Sigmund or Carl if he’s going to fall gaa-gaa for a seventeen year-old at the first “Hello.”
The C for story structure is derived from Rubenfeld’s attempt to build suspense by creating actions but not telling the reader who is acting out the act. Rubenfeld uses devices like, “The man got out of the cab.” Rather than saying, Hugel, Thaw, or Banwell got out of the cab. The non-disclosure of which of the “suspects” is causing the action reads like, “well I don’t know how to write this better, so I’m just going to try and make it mysterious.” Sorry, professor, it didn’t work.
The “B” grade is warranted because the historical facts were interesting, as were the feud between Freud and Jung. I’ll give almost anyone an “A” grade for effort so long as the end product is decent.
Don’t quit your day job professor Rubenfeld, The Interpretation of Murder is like a dream you forget as soon as you awake in the morning.
Steven Tyler
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