EMPATHY by Bryan Walpert — Review by Stella

A cracker of a novel, Empathy is an intelligent thriller with a slowburn intensity that only a very good writer can pull off. The book opens with Edward Geller kidnapped, beaten, and bundled into the boot of a car. With a keen sense for detail and in his rational, precise manner he quickly sums up his situation. Annoyed he won’t get to watch a movie he had planned for the evening ahead, he makes sure to leave some traces of his DNA on the interior walls and rough carpet of the boot. Alison Morris is stuck in a marketing meeting going nowhere. Tired, hot and hungry she’s weary of her male colleagues in the room; their dismissive attitudes are grinding her down. They need a new name, a better perfume product than their competitors. Jim Morris, a game designer, is feed up with his lot. His job sucks, he loves his little girl but would like Alison to arrive home a little earlier. His ambition of doing his own thing seems like a distant dream. David Geller, recently bereaved widower, is looking for his father, and taking care of his children, but finding himself at sea on both counts. The waves, practically and emotionally, are becoming increasingly choppy. All these strands are convincingly cohesive: — the connections between these characters well drawn without being forced; and the dynamic within each family group both fraught and tender. And then there’s the two in the car: small time thugs that want their money back, with interest. Edward Geller’s work for the perfume company has become unstuck, plunging Edward into a state of concern at his creation, and Alison’s job into jeopardy. A scent designed to increase empathy. Could it be done, and wouldn’t it be great? For Edward, it’s also about capturing love at its most empathetic level. Could he recreate that emotion by scent alone? Walpert, as in his previous novel, Entanglement, is intrigued by science, There it was time, and here it is olfaction. The science comes through loud and clear, but it’s also neatly segued into the everyday deliberations and actions of the characters. Walpert writes great characters: you’ll feel empathy for them all. Clever. And also cleverly drawn into this novel is the art of illusion — magic. It is this lightness of touch; that unexpected element, which acts as a vehicle for emotional connection and possibly salvation. If empathy becomes an illusion, is distorted, what dangerous path lies ahead? Empathy is a compelling, thoughtful novel is a satisfying thriller and a tender love letter to family bonds, grieving, and how to rebuild.