Brothers, Lovers, Gods: The Mysterious Lou Salomė

At the turn of the last century, women were tightly bound in stays, literally and figuratively, feminine freedom close to impossible. Only fiercely free thinking and boldly independent women could break free from this constriction and live in accord with their true essence. Among the first to do so was the utterly fascinating Russian-born novelist, essayist, and intellectual Lou Andreas-Salomé, who, indifferent to social convention, defied the gender role of her day to become the “first modern woman,” as Anäis Nin called her. Brilliant, passionate, and full of life, Lou had half the intellectual men of turn-of-the-century Europe at her feet, begging for her love. She was muse to Nietzsche, whose marriage proposal she rejected and who said of “I found no more gifted or reflective spirit … Lou is by far the smartest person I ever knew;” to Germany's lyric poet Rilke, who had a life-long love affair with her long after she abandoned him and who wrote to her “…all that I am stirs me because of you;” and to Freud, whom she embraced as her God and who called her “the great understander.” At age 51, she joined Freud’s circle and became the first woman psychoanalyst. Until her death, Freud and her were close personal friends and he wrote her eulogy. In this novel, Heller tells Lou's enigmatic story from Freud’s couch, as he attempts to unravel the mystery of Lou Salomé while struggling to not get caught in her lair -- "Careful Freud," he cautioned himself. "All tracks around her go into the lion's den and none come out."