The Asylum
By John Harwood
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Hardcover, 9780544003477, May 2013, 224pp.)
The Short of It:
An asylum, a young woman who has supposedly gone mad, the English setting…and yet I struggled with it.
The Rest of It:
Georgina Ferrars wakes up in an asylum. She can’t remember how she got there or why, but she is quickly told that she admitted herself under the name of Lucy Ashton. When she questions this, her uncle back home is notified and he confirms that the REAL Georgina Ferrars is in fact, with him, and that there must be some mistake.
As you can imagine, the mistaken identity piece of this story is what’s most puzzling. Why is she in this asylum? What is going on back home? Is someone doing this to her on purpose? These are the questions that kept going through my mind. I’ve never been one to turn down a book that had anything to do with an asylum. The setting fascinates me as done anything pertaining to psychology or mental illness so this book felt like a good fit for me. Especially, the first half.
But then something strange happened. The story started going back and forth with flashbacks and the like and somewhere along the way, the author lost me. I mean, I was totally and utterly lost! I backtracked and reread entire chapters and could not figure out what was going on. It was so bad at one point, that I checked page numbers to see if my copy had a chunk torn out. Nope. The pages were intact and then out of nowhere, I was suddenly reading a lesbian love scene. Not a bad scene, quite well-written actually, but how did it fit into the story? I haven’t a clue!
This is one of those situations where I either totally spaced out, or I missed a critical line somewhere but the entire second half was a mystery to me. Even the ending. I haven’t a clue what transpired. I feel silly for admitting this but I have to be honest. I got really frustrated trying to figure it out and decided that if I just continued to read, it would all fall into place. No, it did not.
I have to say though, that first half was quite compelling. Harwood’s handling of the setting is what made that first half a page-turner for me. I just wish the second half had been as compelling. I read a lot of heavy stuff and can usually follow along without any problems but clearly, I missed something here.
Anyone want to clue me in? If so, email me.
Source: Borrowed
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Book Chatter 
I love how you always select books that are about dark or dysfunctional or obscure or heavy! LOL I’m sure I wouldn’t know what was going on if YOU didn’t!
I’m still not entirely sure that there WASN’T a page missing somewhere. I checked the reviews on Goodreads and it’s a mixed bag. Some say exactly what I say and others raved.
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Hm, if you were lost while you read this, I figure there’s no hope for me. I think I’ll skip it.
It’s not complex reading but with all of the flashbacks he lost me.
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I read a different John Harwood book (The Seance, maybe?), and had similar feelings. Like I was missing something, so I think it might not just be you? It could be his style. I haven’t read anything else by home, and now I am hesitant. Ambiguity I don’t mind, but cluelessness is no fun.
I haven’t read this, so unfortunately, I can’t clue you in, but it does sound frustrating
OMG…if you felt that way I should never go near it!
Nop, not for me, I guess, Though I wonder what time period the book is set in. The cover looks very 1800s or early 1900s. Is the book set in that timeframe?
Yes, late 1800s I believe but with all the flashbacks I lost track!
If it didn’t all make sense at the end, then that’s way too confusing for me to attempt!
I started listening to this on audio when it was first released, and with the heavy accent of the reader, and a story that I had no clue where it was going I quit after the first disc.
Sorry u had problems with it as well.
I started on audio too. I believe it was the same reader as the gal who did Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. I am not 100% certain but her voice had the same, clinical quality that the reader in that book had and it was hard to listen to.
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Totally strange! I hate when I can’t tell if I’m just the one that’s totally lost or if the book is just really way too confusing. Sounds like you weren’t alone on this one, though.
Yikes! How frustrating and it had such promise!
This review made me laugh because I was wondering how this book was but what you described would have driven me crazy and I could see myself reacting te same way!!
Since it is set in an asylum, maybe the point IS to drive us crazy?? Nah 😉
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I listened on audio and didn’t struggle, but I can see where people might with the back and forth and no real delineation.
Don’t remember the narrator’s voice….at all…oops.
I wanted to really like it, but it just was too all over the place for me to embrace it. I hate when that happens. Hey, how have you been?
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LOL, maybe it’s all over-ness was what made it easier to understand for me because that has been my life lately:) I’m okay, thanks so much for asking.