Review: Empathy, by Bryan Walpert

Bryan Walpert is a writer of poetry, fiction and essay, a professor of creative writing at Massey University, and the author of ten books. His previous novel, Entanglement, was shortlisted for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards’ Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Walpert’s latest offering, Empathy, is a standout novel that is both a compelling thriller, and an insightful work of literary fiction. 

In the high-octane opening chapter, Edward Geller, a chemist and grandfather, has been beaten and thrown into the boot of a car. Bound and bumping towards an unknown fate, Edward contemplates the unfinished business of his life – both the big and the trivial – then (ever the scientist) turns to ensuring he leaves evidence of his DNA behind at the scene. 

After the initial bang the mystery smolders along, carried by a cast of exceptionally well-realised characters. We backtrack and meet Alison Morris, a perfume executive who has landed on the idea for a new formulation, a scent designed to enhance empathy. When Alison’s game developer husband Jim takes a financial gamble, things begin to go awry for the couple. Meanwhile, progress on the research into a chemical formula for empathy – headed by Edward Geller – reveals unexpected and possibly dangerous results. Frustrated by police inaction, it is Edward’s son David – a widower with two children – who must shatter the routines of his life to investigate.

'David had been waiting for his father to show up, as in the dream, or for the police to turn up anything that might suggest how a seventy-year-old scientist could show up for work, the same place he had come home from for years – he had only just started to talk about retirement – then not show up anywhere again.'

Grief, loneliness, guilt, and of course the nature of empathy are constant throughlines in the novel, yet it is never heavy. David’s late wife is ever-present in his thoughts, offering the antidote to his usual reserve with lightness and humour. The author also leans into the science, examining the relationship between the olfactory system and emotion, and importantly the potential consequences if it were possible to manipulate the human mind in this way. 

Empathy is a certainly a crime novel, but unusually, it remains firmly grounded in the domestic. David is a widower, navigating work as a teacher, and the chaos of family life while investigating the mysterious disappearance of his father. This strikes me as a refreshing take. David is struggling with the things we all juggle. After all, if a teacher wants to embark on a clandestine daytime stake out, he must first ask his boss for time off. 

Perhaps Walpert’s greatest strength in this book is the insightful and feather-light touch with which he portrays the dynamics of family. He has eschewed the easy option. The children do not appear in the story as blurred concepts, but as complex characters. This is particularly clear in the treatment of teenage daughter Gemma, who is being bullied online and is trying to navigate the death of her mother and maintain a connection with her distracted father. Particularly good are the scenes where she visits a therapist.

The book has all the elements you expect in a crime thriller, from small-time crooks to corporate secrets, intrigue, drama and violence. The carefully constructed plot is pulled skintight by a highly skilled writer who knows exactly how to treat the reader to a fun ride. Yet, Walpert has also done something different here, taking us on a highly entertaining and perceptive deep dive into the nature of love and human connection. Empathy is a superb thriller from one of our best.