Review: The Dream Collector II: Sabrine and Vincent van Gogh by R.W. Meek

Sabrine, hospitalized for five years at the infamous Salpêtrière Asylum for Women, gains her release due to intervention of her sister Julie Forette and a young Sigmund Freud. The reunited sisters are introduced to the dazzling art milieu of 1886 Paris, and soon become close friends to the leading Impressionists. Sabrine attracts a cult following as a poetess, the enigmatic “Haiku Princess.” Seemingly cured by Freud of her Grand Hysteria, Sabrine soon enters into a tumultuous relationship with Vincent van Gogh.

Julie and Sigmund Freud, alarmed by the eerie parallels between the emotionally volatile couple and their self-destructive impulses, begin an urgent search to discover the root causes for Sabrine and Vincent’s growing psychoses. Julie, ‘The Dream Collector’ seeks their most unforgettable dream for Freud’s interpretation and revelations occur.

The Dream Collector is an exploration of the psychological consequences of betrayal, abandonment–and the redemptive power of art.

My Review

I did not read the first book in this series, but I had no trouble picking up the thread. The story is told from the point of view of Julie Forette, who was the woman carrying the parasol in Monet’s painting featured on the cover of book one. She is the sister of Sabrine mentioned in the subtitle. Although both Julie and Sabrine are fictional characters, in the Author’s Notes R.W.Meek calls them “historical amalgams of real women who often become marginalized in the telling of history.“ OK, why not? Our Julie has had close relations with many of the impressionist painters—sometimes intimate—so she can give us a first-hand view of these complicated artists:

Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin met—how? There are colourful versions which circulate, but none confirmed. Those of us, who knew them both, are in agreement that Vincent was enthralled by Gauguin, admiring the art of the ‘Peruvian Savage’ and respectful of his forceful character. Theo van Gogh hopefully imagined that his overly sensitive brother would benefit by being under Gauguin’s protective wing. Others, those less charitable and more informed, might have analogized it as Lucifer’s wing.

Even more so, again coming from book one, Julie is a close friend of Sigmund Freud, so we get a lively correspondence between the two, mostly concerning Sabrine and her hystero-epileptic condition. Julie has brought Sabrine home from the Salpêtrière Asylum—perhaps prematurely—and Sabrine soon becomes involved with Vincent Van Gogh, who is staying in Paris with Theo. The two are alike in so many ways that Julie is quite alarmed by the relationship. We see a very interesting depiction of Vincent, who tends to be a little more sane than the traditional story about him. Of course, he descends into intermittent madness, but in between his “attacks” he is remarkably coherent. Charming, even. Much more human and likeable than I expected. Anyway, Julie is a bit overprotective of Sabrine who chooses to go her own way and voluntarily commits herself back to Salpêtrière, more as an intern than a patient. It’s all very complicated, and to me the mental gymnastics of these characters kind of takes away from the charm of La Belle Époque. Though I admit, my main enthusiasm about this book was reading more about all my favorite Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists, and not so much about Freud’s obsession with “psychology of sexual neuroses”. Nonetheless, it is all part and parcel of the period, and the author weaves it together very well. I certainly got more than enough insight into the painters, which really tickled me!

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/baLazP

Hardback Link US: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Collector-Sabrine-Vincent-Gogh/dp/1962465349

Meet R.W. Meek

R.w. Meek has a Master’s degree in Art History from the American University in Washington, D.C., his areas of expertise are Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, with a particular interest in Vincent van Gogh.

His first novel The Dream Collector “Sabrine & Sigmund Freud” was voted runner-up by the Historical Fiction Company for best novel of 2022.

Born in Baltimore, he currently resides with his wife Pamela in Santa Clarita, California. He’s passionate about art, cinema, literature and jazz. His two dogs, Reve and Banjo, were awarded angelic status in heaven.