Thunderstruck
(2006) by Erik Larson
I
was blown away by the brilliance
of Larson's The
Devil in the White City
when I listened to it about a year and a half ago, so I knew that
Thunderstruck was
going to be great, too. Here, Larson tells two fascinating stories
that converge at the mother of all low-speed chases (by ship). On the
one hand, we learn about Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) and how his
uprbinging and education led him to experiments in wireless
technology, something that many other scientists and researchers were
interested in at the turn of the twentieth century. On the other
hand, we learn about the strange, tragic life of Dr. Hawley Harvey
Crippen (1862-1910), a practicioner of homeopathic medicine and later
employee at various patent medicine companies.
With his characteristicly deft handling of two competing narratives,
Larson guides us through Marconi's early experiments, relocation to
England, mentorship, and ultimate success in proving that wireless
transmissions could be received from across the Atlantic Ocean. Up
until 1902, no one thought it could be done. Meanwhile, Larson
explores the unhappy marriage of Crippen and an aspiring music-hall
talent named Cora. Over the years, they became increasingly
estranged, due to Cora's suspected infidelity and her often violent
flare-ups at Crippen, who was himself a mild-mannered, quiet, and
supposedly kind man.
The only thing that seems to tie the two men together is the fact
that they spend time in England, but soon Larson reveals the
important role that wireless transmission played in subsequent
events. When Crippen's wife disappeared following an argument, the
doctor told friends that Cora had left him to go back to America
(where they were both born and raised). Some time before Cora had
disappeared, Crippen had been seeing one of the typists at the
company he worked for, and when this woman started appearing in
public wearing Cora's clothes and jewels, people started asking
questions.
Remains ultimately found under the basement floor in Crippen's home
were believed to be Cora's, and when Crippen and his mistress fled
England, it was the new wireless technology that kept them from
dropping off of Scotland Yard's radar.
This
review barely scratches the surface of Thunderstruck,
so you need to read it/listen to it yourself. It's worth it.
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