A review by sapphic_shroom
The Alienist by Caleb Carr

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Having watched the TV show adaptation of The Alienist, and enjoying it immensely (superb casting choices all around!), I was very curious to read the source material. Regrettably, that only came to fruition now, partly because the book was hard to find in my country, and I rarely order books online, and partly because my attention jumped from on thing to another, so once I did get my hands on a copy, it sadly sat on my shelf for a full year before I picked it up. 

And I am so glad I finally did. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with historical fiction, and I blame most of it on my short attention span which prevents me from enjoying books that don't hold my interest long enough. I was admittedly worried this would hinder my enjoyment of this book as well, which would be a sad thing considering how much I loved the show. Thankfully, I was hooked from the first chapter and would end up reading nearly a hundred pages or more a day - which is impressive considering my pace of reading. 

Everything about this book is captivating - the vivid historical setting, the inner voice of our narrator Mr. Moore, the circumstances of the crimes our group of investigators is trying to solve, the characters themselves. By the end of the book, I had not only become attached to our main trio - Dr. Kreizler, Mr. Moore and Sara Howard - but to the Isaacson brothers, Stevie, Cyrus, Mary, and so many more. All of the characters seemed thoroughly developed and most importantly - alive. Not many authors are able to write such characters. 

Perhaps if I had slowed down a little and enjoyed the book over a longer period of time, I would've felt more satisfaction in the investigation and the conclusions the characters arrived at nearing the end of the book, but I still felt as if I was in some way investigating with them, connecting the clues and digging deeper into the mind of the serial killer tormenting those young boys. 

The description of New York and its society in the 1890s was very well done and ensured that the atmosphere of the book would be even more gripping. It is obvious that the author put much thought and research into depicting the place and time accurately. 

All in all, one of the best books I've read in a while. I am excited to pick up The Angel of Darkness some time in the future. 
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