The Alienist needs these rusks

The book: The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Genre: Historical Thriller

Published: 1994

The bake: Whole wheat rusks (beskuit)

What’s the story?

First of all, I have to make it clear that an ‘alienist’ doesn’t work with beings from outer space. It’s an old-fashioned word for a psychologist. As explained at the beginning of the book: “Prior to the twentieth century, persons suffering from mental illness were thought to be ‘alienated’, not only from the rest of society but from their own true nature. Those experts who studied mental pathologies were therefore known as ‘alienists’.” The alienist in the book is dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a very interesting man with amazing empathy with his patients. The story is told from the first-person perspective of John Moore, a reporter with the New York Times. He is an old friend of Kreizler’s.

Basically, the book is a historical thriller about a serial killer targeting poor, immigrant boys working as child prostitutes in the slums of New York in 1896. Yes, this sounds horrible and the descriptions of the victims are quite gory. But, it’s a necessary part of the story. Kreizler and Moore start to work together on the case. Sara Howard joins their unofficial team – she works for police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt and is one of the first women on the police force. Detectives Lucius and Marcus Isaacson also become involved. They bring with them more sophisticated methods of detecting such as fingerprinting.

The team bases themselves at Number 808 Broadway where they start a psychological profile of the killer. This investigation takes them on winding roads all over the city and further afield. There are obstacles placed in their way by everyone from police officers to crime bosses who have their own reasons for thwarting the investigation. The tension builds as the team races against time to figure out who this monster is they are hunting, before he strikes again.

Why read it?

I have to confess, I watched the Netflix series of The Alienist before I read the book. I loved the series, and after reading the book, I think the casting of Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl) and John Moore (Luke Evans) is perfect. I’m not totally convinced by Dakota Fanning as Sara Howard – I think she lacks a bit of personality. Of course, I enjoyed the book more than the series, and there are some extra layers to the story in the novel. Caleb Carr has a very engaging writing style, and the book is easy to read. He weaves his story so expertly, and really brings New York of 1896 to life so that it leaps off the page. Carr carefully crafts relationships between his characters, and it’s lovely to be surprised by new revelations as the story progresses.

I love the inclusion of real historical characters like Theodore Roosevelt and JP Morgan. This piqued my interest so much that I had to do a bit more research about these people and their lives. These ‘characters’ add an extra layer of believability to the novel, so that you almost feel like you are reading a historical account of a serial killer. I can really recommend The Alienist if you love a good (historical) murder mystery/thriller, and don’t mind a bit of gore.

The Alienist is the first book in a series, the second being The Angel of Darkness. This novel is now very high on my ‘must read’-list!

Pair it with: Whole wheat rusks

In The Alienist, dr. Kreizler and his team work long hours, often late into the night, at their headquarters at 808 Broadway. When I have to be up early or work late into the night, the only thing that keeps me going is coffee. And rusks. Lots and lots of rusks. Preferably home-baked rusks. Dunked deep into the coffee and devoured in two bites… I think that dr. Kreizler, John Moore, Sara Howard, and the Isaacsons would have loved to nibble on the rusks I paired with this novel – it’s the perfect snack that helps to keep you going!

My love affair with the amazing products by Gideon Milling continues, and I used two of their products to bake my rusks. The recipe I share today is actually printed on the packaging of Gideon Milling’s cake flour. I’ve adapted it to use half cake flour, and half of their gorgeous, unsifted whole wheat flour. This flour contains everything that is milled, including the wheat germ. It gives a lovely, nutty flavor to the rusks. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to bake them any other way.

When baking rusks, the drying process can make or break your attempt. Make sure you dry out in the oven overnight and keep the temperature fairly low (70-80°C). I’ve had some disasters where I’ve actually burnt perfectly good rusks because the oven temperature was too high. If you have an electric bread knife, use it to cut neat rusks. It means fewer crumbs, more rusks! Make sure the rusks don’t touch each other on the baking tray when drying them out. Spaces between them will ensure even dryness.