Freud's Sister

July 30, 2012
Macedonian writer Smilevski brings to life one of history's forgotten characters, Sigmund Freud's sister Adolfina, in this gem of a book. Based on a true story, the novel takes place during the brief moments leading up to Adolfina's death in a Nazi concentration camp, during which time she reflects on the decisions and accidents that brought her to this place. Emotionally abused by her mother, heartbroken at the loss of her beloved, and persistently lonely, Adolfina is a sensitive and empathetic narrator who portrays "Siggie" as a loving brother, albeit one who dismissed the opportunity to bring his sisters safely to London with him at the time of the Nazi occupation of Austria, an act which would ultimately lead the women to the gas chambers of Terezín. Smilevski beautifully juxtaposes Freud's scientific studies of mental illness with Adolfina's own beliefs regarding the beauty of madness (speaking of the mental institution in which she was confined for a time, Adolfina muses that "The human fates at the Nest wove wondrous, often invisible nets"), establishing a provocative discourse on sanity and perception. Adolfina's affection for her brother, her wish to be desired, and her yearning to give love as a mother make it clear why Freud once called her "the sweetest and best of sisters." Though occasionally plodding, Adolfina's story is deeply moving, and Smilevski's approach to her final moments is unforgettable.

August 15, 2012
Smilevski creates a fictionalized version of the life of Freud's sister in a superb debut. On the brink of World War II, Sigmund Freud receives permission for a chosen group of family and friends to leave Austria for England. Among those he elects to take with him are his doctor and his dog, but Freud excludes his four sisters and assures them that the situation is only temporary. Elderly and in declining health, Paulina, Rosa, Marie and Adolfina are transported with other Jews to a concentration camp, and eventually, they perish in the gas chambers. Smilevski's award-winning narrative--he won the European Union Prize for Literature in 2010--is translated from his native Macedonian and gives voice to Adolfina. Six years younger and once close to her brother, she is the product of a distant father and a verbally abusive mother who constantly lashes out at the daughter whom she tells should never have been born. Lacking formal education and remaining a lifelong spinster, Adolfina remains in the background and, from her vantage point, offers keen insight into the Freud family dynamics. Her brother, around whom the family revolves, is a genius whose star soars while Adolfina suffers years of neglect (she is, after all, merely a woman), an ill-fated love affair, confinement in a psychiatric clinic, where silence is a prized commodity for Adolfina and her friend Klara, and the responsibility of caring for her aging mother. Based in part on true events, the book probes numerous aspects of psychoanalytic theory through the characters' conversations, actions and reflections: the psychosexual development of the individual, the nature of mental illness, the roles of the conscious and the unconscious, and religion. Each falls naturally into the narrative and serves to enhance a balanced, provocative and poignant story. A sensitive portrayal and a well-crafted debut.

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October 1, 2012

It is almost presumptuous to attempt a brief review of a book as rich, varied, and complex as this novel by Macedonian author Smilevski (Conversation with Spinoza), winner of the European Union Prize for Literature. Written over a period of seven years and adeptly translated by Kramer, the work imaginatively re-creates the life of one of Sigmund Freud's four sisters, Adolfina, from her childhood in Vienna to Hitler's absorption of her native Austria. Never married, Adolfina maintains a close relationship with her famous brother, though she is left behind with the other sisters when he flees Vienna for the safety of London as the Nazis take over. The author brings Freud to life in his penetrating depiction of family relationships set against the backdrop of social and historical changes sweeping Europe at the time. The account contains a discussion by Sigmund Freud with another member of the psychoanalytic community in which he presciently declares, "With my discovery of the subconscious...I am on a path to change the world." VERDICT A novel of high intellect, enthusiastically recommended for smart readers everywhere and anyone interested in the father of psychoanalysis. [See Prepub Alert, 4/19/12.]--Edward Cone, New York

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
Damaged by loss and haunted by unfulfilled dreams, Adolfina Freud, sister of Sigmund Freud, tells her story. This grim but provocative novel by Macedonian author Smilevski asks whether Sigmund Freud, who escaped the Nazi invasion of Vienna after selecting an entourage including his doctor's family, his sister-in-law, and his dog, was responsible for the deaths of four of his sisters in a concentration camp. This is largely a book of ideas, with the action progressing slowly, and an examination of the way choices make us who we are. The narrator Adolfina explores her brother's beliefs through the prism of her own experience, with a sensitivity to human frailty sometimes lacking in his work. The result is an unflinching gaze at love, death, sex, hatred, depression, and madness. The writing is repetitive and raw, with some stilted speeches, but Smilevski has flashes of insight and creates memorable images of despair. Like Freud's work, Adolfina's story reaches past its moment in history in an attempt to uncover greater universal truths about the darker side of human nature.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)