| As with Labyrinth, I read this book because the story | | | | The book is more an anthology of course notes and |
| appeared to be interesting and because of the | | | | psychiatric and psychological theory. If you want the |
| Reviews. Again, as with Labyrinth, do not put too | | | | real thing, read the Sigmund Freud library. Human |
| much faith into the Reviewers’ who work for the | | | | Traces is just under 800 pages long, at least, if not |
| Press. | | | | more, than 400 of these pages could easily have been |
| I was attracted to this book because of its subject | | | | discarded. The real story is that of Sonia – |
| matter – psychology and psychiatry; the beginnings | | | | that’s what Sebastian Faulk should have stuck to. |
| of the profession. I am a self-confessed arch | | | | She experiences loss, grief, happiness and love and it |
| Freudian and it is this subject that attracted me. | | | | should have been her story. It wasn't and I struggled |
| The Review for the Daily Telegraph describes the | | | | to find any depth to her character or how, when or |
| book as a ‘huge work of imagination’ . I did | | | | why Jacques had fallen in love with her. This was |
| not find this to be accurate so, the question I have is | | | | only declared after her first marriage had failed. |
| “did you actually read the book”? The answer | | | | There is nothing in the story to suggest that Jacques |
| has to be ‘no’ otherwise such a review could | | | | had ever harboured any feelings for her. It's as |
| not have written such a Review. This is a good | | | | though Sebastian Faulk has just had to find a slot for |
| example of Sebastian Faulk being an established | | | | Sonia to keep her in the story and marriage to |
| author who has fame and the sympathy of the | | | | Jacques is the most convenient way of doing that. |
| press. Yet his book ‘On Green Dolphin Street’ | | | | She appears to have been inserted just as an 'add on' |
| did not translate well into a film, why? Because his | | | | to ensure there was a female character in the novel. |
| characters are so weak and more crucially, because it | | | | The novel has NOTHING to do with “what it means |
| has an underdeveloped plot which fails to carry the | | | | to be human” as one Reviewer had said. It is |
| story. It lacks pace, plot, and substantial characters | | | | trying to make a novel out of the history of |
| but it is shorter and therefore better than Human | | | | psychology and psychiatry. A well written novel |
| Traces. | | | | along these lines would have turned the history of |
| With Human Traces, all these deficiencies are | | | | these professions into a more understandable and |
| evident. The book is about two men – Jacques | | | | meaningful plot and with more well developed |
| and Thomas – who meet on a fortuitous occasion | | | | characters. A good example is “The Interpretation |
| in France - and find they have a shared interest in the | | | | of Murder” which weaves Freudian theory into |
| study of the human mind. That’s it folks!! What | | | | society, murder and relationships. It is a novel about |
| follows is less a story but, like Labyrinth, literally a text | | | | the meaning of being human. |
| book history of the origins of psychology and | | | | The book lacks coherence. Yes, the study of the |
| psychiatry. It conveniently side steps the founding | | | | human mind is interesting, but for a person who has no |
| father of Psychology, Sigmund Freud, but has no other | | | | knowledge of psychology or psychiatry there would |
| interesting features with which the reader can | | | | be no enlightenment in this book. Here it is reduced to |
| engage. Indeed, the only interesting parts of the book | | | | the medical model of psychiatry which is one that |
| are the first few chapters which describe the family | | | | actually denies the very essence of human |
| life of Jacques, the rest is essentially a tedious | | | | experience and reduces psychological disturbance to a |
| promotion of the medical model of psychiatry. | | | | medical illness.. |
| In a serious attempt to find the trace of an actual | | | | The book makes quite tedious reading as it lacks pace |
| novel in this book, I soldiered on gallantly to page 360, | | | | and plot - largely due to a lack of an established |
| even the so called ‘enlightened’ lecture by | | | | rationale to the story. The point of it seems to be to |
| Jacques is merely a synopsis of Clared’s work. | | | | discredit psychoanalysis and to promote psychiatry but |
| At page 360 I had to take a decision and asked | | | | in a format which does not achieve either. You cannot |
| myself some questions: | | | | engage or empathise with the characters or the |
| - Did the story have a point? | | | | patients. So, although Thomas is supposed to be a bit |
| - Is there an actual story to be told? | | | | of a maverick, or at least that is what is implied but not |
| - Did I care about Jacques, Sonia and Thomas? | | | | described, there are no discernible origins to this |
| - Was the story adding a new or different knowledge | | | | behaviour and you get no insight into Thomas' need to |
| to what I actually know about psychology? | | | | take chances or in fact, what those chances actually |
| The answer to all these questions was a resolute | | | | are because he reads as a very staid character. After |
| NO! The novel lacks these. The only person to | | | | page 360 I gave up and turned to the last 10 pages. I |
| jump out at you is Jacques. You understand his thirst | | | | can assure you, I had missed nothing at all. On a |
| for knowledge of the mind due to the circumstances | | | | 3½ hour train journey I read one of the bits I had |
| of his brother. | | | | missed and was rewarded with a very sound sleep! |