Vienna Triangle

A young woman named Kate explores her historical connection to the development of Freudian theory and the early beginnings of psychoanalysis in this mystery rooted in the past. Based on real facts concerning the pivotal figures in the development of modern psychology, the complicated lives of Sigmund Freud, his colleague Helene Deutsch, and his rival Victor Tausk are carefully reconstructed to show how their interpersonal intricacies may have led to conspiracy and deceit in the writing of early 20th-century history. When Kate realizes that Tausk was her grandfather, she begins to uncover the details around his mysterious suicide. Only as Kate uncovers the truth is she able to make important decisions about her own future.

A young woman named Kate explores her historical connection to the development of Freudian theory and the early beginnings of psychoanalysis in this mystery rooted in the past. Based on real facts concerning the pivotal figures in the development of modern psychology, the complicated lives of Sigmund Freud, his colleague Helene Deutsch, and his rival Victor Tausk are carefully reconstructed to show how their interpersonal intricacies may have led to conspiracy and deceit in the writing of early 20th-century history. When Kate realizes that Tausk was her grandfather, she begins to uncover the details around his mysterious suicide. Only as Kate uncovers the truth is she able to make important decisions about her own future.

Publishers Weekly

Webster's fourth novel is an involving, if overly mannered, literary mystery centered around an ambitious young woman's unknown ancestry, the love life of Sigmund Freud and the death of Freud's rival, Viktor Tausk. A chance run-in with legendary psychoanalyst Helene Deutsch, once a member of Freud's inner circle, sends young American scholar Kate Berg on a journey to uncover the familial roots her mom has long kept hidden. Through Helene, Kate discovers secrets that tie Freud to her long-lost grandfather; the chaotic story of Freud, Tausk and their fight over the alluring Lou Andreas-Salomé, unreels with the Vietnam War raging in the background, immersing Kate and readers in two generations of love and loss. Both smart and charming, Webster's latest delves into the history of psychology with sordid details and a surprising conclusion, in which Kate may lose more than she gains.
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Brenda Webster is a renowned novelist, a critic, and a translator. She is the author of two literary critical studies, a memoir, and the novels The Beheading Game, Paradise Farm, and Sins of the Mothers. She lives in Berkeley, California.