Touring The Human Brain (Human Traces - Sebastian Faulks)

Member Name: Emmald

Product:	Human Traces - Sebastian Faulks
Date:	24/03/09 (164 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A well written book that charts the lives of three friends

Disadvantages: Maybe a bit long

English author and former literary editor of The Independent Sebastian Faulks is possibly best known for his intriguing First World War novel `Birdsong` published in 1993.
In 2005 another of his novels was published, this being `Human Traces`.
Yet again Faulks has set his sights on providing readers with another captivating if not complicated tale that is set back in the mid 1800`s.

Human traces centres around the lives of two young men who not only have their own personal issues with life but feel that they can make significant inroads into introducing change in how mental illness is perceived and dealt with.

Jacques Rebiere , the son of a lowly Breton landowner is perturbed by the plight of his older brother Olivier who is now reduced to living the life of an animal due to being plagued by constant `strange voices` and a predisposition to violence.
Thomas Midwinter the son of a prosperous Lincolnshire grain merchant is a young man who is trying to find a purpose in life, Thomas often hears those strange voices too.
His sister Sonia is about to start married life with Mr Prendergast who she has chosen to marry for no other reason but convenience.

Sonia manages to persuade her husband to take a holiday in France and Thomas goes along too.
Deauville is where the two teenagers meet and that chance meeting blossoms into an adoring and long lasting friendship. They train in medicine together, specialising in mental health and eventually pool their resources and open a clinic in Austria where they can offer treatment to the mentally ill, among their patients is Jacques brother Olivier.

Sonia's marriage comes to an end as her husband seems intent on gambling his life away and as she starts to see more of Jacques the inevitable happens.
Thomas finds love in a very mercurial way when a young woman enters their Austrian clinic and complains of chest pains. Jacques and Thomas have completely different theories on her illness which lead to conflict between the friends.


It is clear that Faulks has done a substantial amount of research to be able to write so fluently about such a delicate subject and there are passages in the book which contain in depth medical conversations. But don't let that deter you, there is enough meat in the storyline to make it a good if not long read.
Considering that mental health was at that point in time a very taboo subject Faulks has handled it with great empathy. The mind is a powerful tool, investigating the mind can be both fascinating yet alarming. As the story flows you are invited to take part in dissections of not only animals but the human brain too. Faulks chooses to graphically describe the interior of the mental asylum of the era.

Human Traces will have great appeal to many, on the other hand there will be an element who will recoil at the content. Sebastian Faulks gathers momentum in Human Traces, effortlessly getting into his stride. There are no great lusty affairs or scandalous moments but what the book does incredibly well is to chart the lives of the three main characters over a number of decades..
There are paragraphs that you may choose to skim but the need to know what happens to the three friends and Jacques brother Oliver far outweighs that.

If you are one of the many who are fascinated by the human mind then this may well prove a good read for you. Faulks lets his pen flow well, incorporating the complicated with the intriguing.
If you stumble it won't be for long, you will soon be up and running again.

Human Traces is available on
the Amazon website. The hardback is priced at around £12, but a paperback copy can be purchased for very little.

Summary: Interesting and intriguing, Sebastian Faulks hasn`t let us down.