Fiction/Crippen: A Novel of Murder By John Boyne: At one stage in John Boyne's new novel, Inspector Dew of Scotland Yard offers the opinion that the name Dr. Crippen "hardly sounds like the name of a wife murderer", writes Derek Hand
But of course from our perspective that is exactly what the name conjures up: the quintessential wife murderer from dreary Edwardian suburbia. It is a credit to the author that he manages to transform both well-known killer and well-documented murderous deed into a lively narrative, encompassing the grisly act itself as well as poking fun at the social mores of the early part of the 20th century.
Boyne's two novels to date - The Congress of Rough Riders and The Thief of Time - have displayed a similar keen interest in dealing with, and recreating, stories and characters from the past. With the presence of Matthieu Zéla, a man over 200 years old, who appears in all three novels, Boyne has the opportunity to have a little amusement with ideas of Time and the nature of history and history-writing. However, such concerns are not really on the agenda in Crippen. There are a number of humorous asides playing with the reader's supposed knowledge of then and now, as well as constant reminders that the action is being played out on the cusp of modernity. Thus, we have the novelty of the motorcar alluded to, and the use of the Marconi telegraph in the eventual capture of Crippen is brought centre stage.
No, there is nothing too serious at the heart of the novel. Boyne has the ability to create memorable characters, and to unfold their various stories in a tightly controlled narrative that shifts backwards and forwards, dolling out enough information to keep readers on the edge of their metaphorical seats.
One of the more remarkable facts of the case was how Crippen's lover, Ethel LeNeve, passed herself off as his son as they attempted to make their escape to Canada on board an ocean liner. Of course, Boyne plays with these known details: after all, this is a fiction; and consequently, a diverting subtext concerning gender and sexuality bubbles away underneath.
In the end, it is hard to know why someone would choose to retell this already well-known story. Certainly, as a novel it is nothing if not engaging. Yet the absence of any enlightening re-imagining of the character or the events means that the novel never truly raises itself beyond the realm of entertainment. This is confirmed with the often jarring contemporary idiom in which the narrative is told and in which the characters speak. Thus, no effort is being made to be true to the context or the sensibilities of the characters and the times in which they lived.
Nevertheless, entertainment is a good thing and one could do a lot worse than enter the world of the infamous Dr Crippen.
Derek Hand is a lecturer in English in St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin. He is currently writing A History of the Irish Novel for Cambridge University Press
Crippen: A Novel of Murder By John Boyne Penguin, 494pp. €8.99