Review | The Asylum by Karen Coles

It’s 1906 and Maud Lovell has been at Angelton Lunatic Asylum for five years. Her memories are gone and she’s been told that she’s unstable and violent. When a new doctor arrives, he’s keen to practice medical hypnosis on Maud to help uncover her memories. But can she handle the truth about her past?

Sometimes, if I stare hard enough, I can imagine myself free of this place, out there in the fresh air with the grass under my feet and the cool wind blowing against my skin.

The Asylum is an impressive debut! I finished it a while ago and I’m still thinking about it. It’s exactly what I wanted – a gothic mystery with a strong protagonist and a well-crafted storyline. Maud’s narration is unreliable and eerie because her memories are jumbled so sometimes she sees things and people that aren’t there. I really liked Maud! She’s independent and spirited, and even when she feels low she never loses her spark. She loves botany and drawing, and there are some lovely scenes of her being around nature before her time in the asylum. Her memories of the marsh are vivid though shrouded in darkness, and it made for some stunning imageries.

The book explores the horrific ways women were treated in asylums back then. It tackles sexism, classism, and mental illness through the eyes of Maud. It also looks at the way sexual assault leaves an impact on the victims. While the characters are mostly divided into good and bad, a few live in the grey area, which brings up complicated feelings. Yet there are some truly vile characters and devastating scenes that made me angry. The book does a good job showing how powerless Maud feels and how life leads her to places she couldn’t expect. I did wish the ending brings more closure in this sense. But this is an incredible portrait of a woman who lost her freedom and attempts to fight for her future.

The Asylum is riveting, heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful. Not an easy read by any means but worth it!

CW: rape, statutory rape, physical abuse, kidnapping

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.

About the author: Karen Coles

Photo by Joran Quinten