A review by elwirax
The Alienist, by Caleb Carr

dark mysterious reflective tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

"The defenders of decent society and the disciples of degeneracy are often the same people."

What I enjoyed most about this book was the very vivid world building and its great exploration of psychology, criminology and the ever elusive question of what makes a serial killer. I loved the case report style of the writing, the snippets of hindsight and the historical context which really made the book feel like non fiction. There were also many interesting themes explored such as class division, immigration, lack of equality (racism, sexism) and the birth of new radical ideas in the time period which made the story so compelling. 

However, the characterisation really lacked for me. Sara was by far my favourite in the adaptation but the book didn't always shine light to her greatness. Kreizler and Moore were equally interesting in the show but were rather flat in the book. I think their characterisation and relationships were more developed in the adaptation, the lack of this in the book made it feel like a slog to get through at times with all the info dumping in terms of buildings and the landscape. 

Another major factor that I disliked in this book was the use of outdated language ( n word f slur and g slur). Just because it's historically accurate does not mean I want to read it. 

Overall, the period setting, themes and the mystery felt authentic and kept me interested. However, this was not a perfect book with often problematic language or ideas. The slow nature of the book can be attributed to the concentration on aspects that didnt serve much of a purpose and could've been re-directed into better character building. Therefore I couldn't give it anything above a 3.5. Nonetheless, it was an interesting read that I may return to in the future for the atmosphere alone.
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