In the Tenth House

by: Laura Dietz

Published by: Crown Publishers

Reviewed by Michele E. Davis

Ambrose Gennett is an alienist (psychiatrist) in Victorian London who comes from a family of means. Set in the 1890s when the whole of Europe was in paroxysms about Sigmund Freud and Ernst von Brucke, the book is filled with the dichotomy between fact and fiction, truth and lies, and those with money as well as those without the means to support themselves.

This was an exciting time to be an alienist, a man that studies the mind during this psychological upheaval. Gennett, against the wishes and demands of his fellow psychiatrists, follows Freud with a zealous passion. Gennet wants to revolutionize alienism in London as Freud did in Austria and Brucke in Germany.

On the staff of four hospitals for the insane, Gennet is having a covert, simplistic, non-sexual relationship with a patient’s wife. Treatments he’s authorized to perform are in the realm of Medieval: such as hydrotherapy, seclusion, or bringing rats into a histrionic’s cell whose paranoia hinges on being exposed to rats. Gennet’s goal is to get the other physicians to perform talking therapy. At every turn Gennet is stymied by the established system of medicine, and he can’t seem to make a difference without being criticized.

Into this walks a medium that relies on fakery to gain admittance into wealthy homes and weave her magical, spiritual sorcery. Gennet meets Lily E. and falls for her. But his medical ethics turn into obsession about Lily’s otherworldly seances for her clients. Gennet’s mother, aunt and sister become involved with Lily and Gennet tries to stop them from involvement with the spirit world. Poor Gennet is a decent man who means well—a good alienist with new-fangled ideas that ruin his career and put him in the same place as his patients.

Fantastic descriptions of Victorian London and the medical establishment of the time.

Armchair Interviews says: A great read for those who like a twist ending and enjoy historical novels.

Author’s Web site: http://www.LauraDietz.com