The Fig Eater

Description

Vienna, 1910. An eighteen-year-old girl named Dora (loosely inspired by Freud's famous patient Dora) is found brutally murdered in the Volksgarten Park. The crime is being investigated by the Inspector, newly schooled in rationalist criminology. Meanwhile, his Hungarian wife, Erszebet, driven by Gypsy superstition, and Wally, a teenage English governess, secretly conduct a parallel investigation based on their female intuition. They are certain the figs found in Dora's stomach during the autopsy are the clue to the identity of the murderer--for there are no fresh figs in Vienna at this time of year. A stylish journey to turn-of-the-century Vienna, the book is rich with detail about the city and Gypsy folklore, filled with luscious descriptions of food, photography, botany, perverse medical practices, and sexual secrets.

First Sentence

HE STANDS UP NEXT TO THE girl's body.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The Fig Eater: A NovelPaperbackBack Bay Books2001-03-06
• The fig eaterDoubleday2000-01-01
• The Fig EaterAudio CassetteWarner Adult2000-03-01
• The Fig EaterElectronic resourceLittle, Brown and Company2001-01-01
• The fig eaterWheeler Pub.2001-01-01