Friday 17 April 2020

Asylum by Patrick McGrath


"The first I knew of their growing intimacy was the day Charlie fell off the garden wall."

I was pointed to this novel by its inclusion in one of the Top 10 lists from The Guardian.
Namely Alison MacLeod’s Top 10 stories about infidelity. Incidentally a great list of reads, cheating makes for an intense reading experience. The penguin copy of the book I read begins with a short essay by the author entitled Writing Asylum. I would recommend reading this after you read the book as it will increase your appreciation of the book and ensure you don’t’ receive any spoilers.

Told from the perspective of friend and fellow psychiatrist Peter Cleave, this is the story of Stella, the beautiful wife of forensic psychiatrist, Max, her young son Charlie and their life at the hospital for the criminally insane where they live in the Deputy Superintendent’s house. Far removed from the distractions of London life, Stella mopes around the house and chats to the patients who assist in the garden.  She develops a relationship with one particular patient, Edgar Stark.

Edgar has been a model patient and is nearing the end of his stay. He shows no signs of the homicidal rage that led to him decapitating his wife. There’s nothing so exciting as the unbridled passions of a frustrated artist and troubled soul. Stella has no hope and naturally, since unhinged individuals are a bad dating choice, her affair becomes equal parts page turning and tragic. Damn I think I might have dropped spoilers.

Can you catch insanity? Or does involvement with someone truly disturbed warp your perspective of normal behavior? Sexual obsession is a kind of insanity and can have unintended consequences. The author’s exploration of these themes is sure to have you turning the pages at a pace.


5 out of 5 - don't sleep with psychos.



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