Inamorata
by Joseph Gangemi
Viking, $24.95 ISBN 0-67-03279-4
I suspect that many of us who are intrigued by paranormal
phenomena also enjoy a good mystery. Inamorata satisfies
both appetites.
In his first novel, Joseph Gangemi takes us to Philadelphia during a revival of the Spiritualist movement. It’s 1922 and the Scientific American has offered $5,000 for conclusive evidence of psychic phenomena.
Our protagonist, 23-year old Harvard psychology graduate student Martin Finch, works for a professor who is the head of judges for the Scientific American contest. Finch’s job is to investigate the contestants’ claims of psychic ability. After exposing several frauds, Finch is assigned to Philadelphia in his professor’s stead to investigate a medium, Mina Crawley, who has come highly recommended by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Upon arrival and exposure to Mina’s feminine charms, Finch must fight to keep his investigative objectivity. The story’s suspense intensifies as Mina’s abilities are tested and her relationship with Finch develops. He explores several possible explanations for Mina’s ability. Is it supernatural as claimed? Is it an extremely well-executed magician’s trick? Or does his own field of study, psychology, hold the answer? Readers who are familiar with paranormal history may recognize many of the characters names from reallife. The allusions to the sexual behaviour of Mina’s husband, Dr Arthur Crawley, may however seem over-thetop for readers not familiar with English magician and occultist Aleister Crowley. With references to the Catholic church and a dying sceptic’s admission that he wanted to be proven wrong, we are reminded how powerfully the human psyche needs to believe – to project itself into an eternal existence.
Finch and his professor primarily, and other characters to some degree, each struggle with the tension between believing and not believing. I like that Gangemi stays true to this tension, deftly weaving evidence for multiple explanations for Mina’s seeming success as a medium. Ultimately, he lets the reader decide what or whether to believe.
Gangemi’s degree in psychology is put to good use with specific descriptions of mental disorders and psychological theories. It’s always nice to accidentally learn something while reading for pleasure. And a pleasure it was.
Alicia Hill Ruiz
