Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman’s latest novel, Freud’s Mistress, is a compelling story surrounding Freud and his family that weaves fact and fiction.  This book is a re-creation of a very possible love affair between Sigmund Freud and his sister-in-law, Minna Bernays. Although many scholars dismissed it as ridiculous they have come to change their minds after the discovery of a glamorous Swiss hotel’s register where Freud signed in as “Dr. Sigm Freud u frau (wife).” What is very gripping is that same day he sent his wife a postcard describing the lodgings as “humble.” Beyond the affair, the authors also intertwined, in this romantic novel, facts about Freud’s life and theories.

The novel begins with Minna moving in to her sister and brother-in-law’s house in the late 1890’s and traced her forty-two year residency with the family. Kaufmann and Mack find it fascinating and hope the readers will as well, that during the period where Freud was developing his theories on psychoanalysis and dreams, he was having a scandalous affair with his sister-in-law.  They wonder if the affair had an impact on his works.

The authors brilliantly point out the differences between the two sisters.  Martha, the wife, is portrayed as tired, dutiful, and acquiescent to her husband.  Minna, her sister, was independent, intelligent, and someone who stimulated Freud both intellectually and sexually.  In fact, the authors have Freud describe her as having “a man’s brain.”

Throughout the book Freud is seen as very chauvinistic and ego driven.  This is no more evident than his attitude toward his wife and marriage.  Through the authors’ extensive research, drawing upon the actual letters written by Freud, they were able to show Freud’s thoughts on these matters. In paraphrasing his actual words, “A satisfying sexual relationship in marriage lasts only a few years.  After a while, the wife is weighed down by her domestic duties…and the passion disappears.  In addition, contraceptive methods cripple desire.”

On the other hand, the authors depict Minna’s struggle with her conscience, her sense of guilt arising from the betrayal to her sister.  She tries to deny the physical tension, but ultimately succumbs to his overwhelming personality.  The authors explained, “She saw him as dynamic, brilliant, handsome, charming, and funny. She enjoyed being his confidant and having conversations about his works. We tried to show this and the fact that once Martha became overwhelmed, Minna took over the household and became entertainment to Freud.  Basically she usurped Martha’s life.”

In fact after finishing the book the readers will wonder if Freud should have had his family “on the couch.”  He was unhappy with his wife and thought of marriage as infringing on desire and passion.  One of his children, Sophie, was a bed-wetter who stammered.  His oldest son, Martin, once said that his father never talked about sex to him and that they hardly had a relationship.  This seems ironic since the authors chronicle how Freud related all neurosis to something sexual.  Karen noted, “During this time period his theory was that all problems were related to sexual neurosis.  However, later on he backed away, maybe because Minna questioned him or maybe because his young daughters started to grow up.”

They enjoyed speculating about the affair, commenting, “The fun of it was creating the relationship with our best guess on how it developed.”  This is apparent from a quote in the book, “But the fact was, if she (Minna) was to continue this duplicitous arrangement, she was going to have to swallow her resentment, her pride, and learn to live with the fact that Martha was, and always would be, the wife.”

Kaufman and Mack are hoping the readers will question how the affair affected the theories he was working on at the time, how the sisters reacted to Freud, how much did Martha know about the relationship, and how could someone like Freud, who by all accounts was conservative in his private life, engage in such a deception?

When asked what Freud would have thought of the book they responded, “He would not have enjoyed it.  He once was asked to participate in his biography and he commented, ‘If I tell the truth about my life I would hurt a lot of people, and if I cannot tell the truth there is no point in writing my biography.’ He was intensely private.  We read letters that were very personal about the problems with his wife and his family.  He appeared not to be very happy with her and was not very understanding of women; yet, Minna, an independent woman, stimulated him. Hopefully, this is what the reader will learn from the story.”

Regarding Freud’s personality, the reader will come away with several distinct impressions:  charismatic, chauvinistic, self-centered, and brilliant.  This is no more exemplified than their re-creation of a Freud lecture where all the students were spell bound and mesmerized, leaning on his every word: “The air was charged with electricity as he offered his audience fresh possibilities, new ways of thinking.  He made them laugh and laugh again.  They were drawn…to his greatness.”  Contrast that with the quote from the book showing his narcissist personality, “Minna was just one more person who ‘stimulated his mind.’ And that this attachment would eventually pass, just like the others.”

Jennifer explained, “Through his letters, which we wanted to convey in the book, male or female became enamored with him but he chose to move on after awhile.  He always seemed to need a friend or an enemy. Minna learned the hard way that there were always people drifting in and out of Freud’s life.  At first they were indispensable, but after a period of time they were often discarded.”

Freud’s mistress is more than just a novel of passion and betrayal between a husband and a wife, and between sisters.  It is also very informative about the difficulties Freud faced due to the uniqueness of his ideas, his personality, and the cultural conditions in the late nineteenth century, including the anti-Semitic atmosphere.