Product Description

"Human Traces" explores the question of what kind of beings men and women really are. Jacques Rebiere and Thomas Midwinter, both sixteen when the story starts in 1876, come from different countries and contrasting families. They are united by an ambition to understand how the mind works and whether madness is the price we pay for being human. As psychiatrists, they travel on a quest from the squalor of the Victorian lunatic asylum to the crowded lecture halls of the renowned Professor Charcot in Paris; from the heights of the Sierra Madre in California to the plains of unexplored Africa. Their search is made urgent by the case of Jacques' brother Olivier, for whose severe illness no name has yet been found. Thomas' sister Sonia becomes the pivotal figure in the volatile relationship between the two men. It threatens to explode with the arrival in their Austrian sanatorium of an enigmatic patient, Fraulein Katharina von A, whose illness epitomises all that divides them. As the concerns of the old century fade and the First World War divides Europe, the novel rises to a climax in which the value of being alive is called into question. This is Sebastian Faulks' most ambitious novel yet, with scenes of emotional power recalling his most celebrated work, yet set here on an even larger scale.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6859 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 618 pages

Observer
‘Compelling novel’

The Times
'Fascinating'

Trevor Lewis in The Sunday Times
‘the novel’s intelligent prose and compassionate belief in human betterment shine through'

Customer Reviews

Interesting but about 200 pages too long!
Unfortunately I have to agree with the comments from the reviewer below - far too much detail. I started Human Traces eagerly and found it to be very interesting, particularly the descriptions of typical mental asylums in the 19th Century. But…. after about 200 pages my interest started to wane. I don’t wish to do the author a disservice as the time and effort Faulks has spent researching psychiatry is clearly evident and incredibly impressive, however I picked this book from the shelf thinking it was going to be an interesting (and, knowing Faulks, possibly thought provoking) work of fiction, not a dissertation on the history of mental illness. But unfortunately that’s what it turned out to be. At certain points Faulks literally transcribes speeches and lectures from the characters regarding their thoughts on psychiatry; one of which lasts for 22 pages!

Aside from that, I did enjoy the plot and enjoyed seeing how life treated Jacques and Thomas over the years. Ultimately this is a very interesting book and I’m sure those who have a particular interest in the field of neurology and psychology would hugely enjoy this book, but it was just too didactic for my liking.

What Human Traces?
What a dry and humourlesss book!

Like others,I approached the book as a ready convert. I had read 'Birdsong' convinced we had a developing master of the English language on our hands, and I went on to read 'On Green Dolphin Street' and others with great enjoyment

I entered this tome with great anticipation only to find myself alone and frustrated in a world peopled by characters retrieved from Arthur Conan-Doyle's waste paper basket. Every character in the book was, effecively, Dr Watson, or Dr Watson with a foreign accent; even the women!

There were so many stiff upper lips in this book that I feel sure this is the area of medicine which the two protagonists should have entered. Instead, they missed their calling and forged doggedly ahead in their careers as 19th Century Psychiatrists or "Mad Doctors" as they called it. Good for them!I just don't see what it has got to do with me

I can see that Sebastian Faulks does feel very strongly about the themes in this book, but the exploration of the meaning of life and what it is to be human is a bit ambitious even for him. Anyway, his project enters the realms of the surreal when he chooses as his voices in this ultimate debate two florid, emotionally constipated victorian doctors who seem to speak every European language except English. There are interminable pages of scientific waffling couched in pseudo Victorian language where the characters feel obliged to end each contribution with: "...is it not", "...would it not" or "...sir".
You can almost see them twiddling their moustaches as they speak.

In fact the book does feature a couple of Non-Watsonian characters but these are just as thinly sketched: The Victorian Villain puts in an early appearance, and The Femme Fatale a late one; both are shunted in and out like guest stars in a US sit-com

This is a book of hugely ambitious scope which falls way, way short - One Star for his tenacity in sticking it out for 600 pages!

Most wonderful book I have read for a long time
This book was recommended to me, but before I started reading it I foolishly read some of the reviews on Amazon. This put me off starting it and then while I was reading it I kept waiting for it to become hard going or boring. It never did. I will say as others have said that sometimes the text and ideas are hard to follow and need reading over a couple of times, but these sections only last a few pages and soon you are back reading the beautiful family saga which the book ultimately is.

Sebastian Faulks has taken his obvious interest in the thoughts and philosophies of humans and woven them into a deeply human and touching story. I loved all the characters and cared for them. It was one of those books which I couldn't wait to get to bed to read and woke up early in the morning to see what would happen next.

It explores what it means to be human which although set in the past is very relevant to today. It gives insight into scientific research and the ways that new ideas are put forward then discounted or fall out of fashion. It made me realise that we are still a long long way from understanding the human mind one hundred years later.

I thought the ending was perfect and very satisfying. An incredibly rewarding book which makes you marvel at the skill of the writer.