But Stella's knowledge of Edgar's crime is no hindrance to the volcanic attraction that ensues--a passion that will consume Stella's sanity and destroy her and the lives of those around her. Dan and his friends, Abby and Jordan, decided to take a road trip the summer after senior year. On their way to visit Jordan's uncle in New Orleans, the friends realize they're being followed and photographed. Dan begins to receive messages from someone who died last Halloween and the strange occurrences only escalate once they reach New Orleans. Dan realizes that the disturbing events that have happened to him might not be coincidence, but fate. His past might be connected to a group called the Bone Artists, who are disturbingly interested in past killers. Dan just hopes he can make it out of this road trip alive with his life. [2] Books [ edit ] After experiencing the mental illness of person close to him first-hand (presumably his first wife who committed suicide in 1964) Goffman remarked this book would have been "very different" had he written it after the experience. [2] See also [ edit ] Predictability doesn't necessarily mean I'm not going to like it as a whole. I mean, I knew where Star Wars was headed and loved every second of it, all the way up to everybody clapping hands as our heroes got awarded -- *note: except for Chewie :( Side note: Are all Stellas sexual beings ruled by their animal instincts and the urging of their loins? The primitive, debasing relationship between Stella and Edgar drew a strong parallel to another sexually-charged relationship tinted with domestic violence penned by Tennessee Williams and made forever famous by Marlon Brando.

Accompagnare Stella in questo viaggio, fa sentire i capelli spettinati, l’alito gelido della notte sul collo e l’acutezza vivida di stelle che riempiono un cielo estivo pulsante, attonito, pieno di promesse malate. Quando l’ho afferrato dallo scaffale della biblioteca non mi sono accorta che era fra le proposte di lettura del mese, e un piccolo foglietto sbucava dalla prima pagina, con l’indicazione “Piccola farmacia letteraria”: In 2005, Asylum, was made into a movie. I think it might be better that way because you'd be able to see and feel the passion coming through living, breathing, characters. The Warden (Daniel Crawford): He was the warden at Brookline when it was an asylum. His experiments focused on immortality and he was focused on spreading his "legacy".Follia parla di un amore oscuro, passionale e violento; un sentimento deleterio, perturbante e folle. Si si lo so, non si dovrebbe mai simpatizzare per il cattivo del libro, ma siamo sicurissimi che sia stato solo lui quello colpevole? Siamo sicuri che Stella sia stata soltanto una vittima plagiata da una mente malata? Ci sono stati dei momenti di tensione, non lo nego, ma altri in cui ho creduto di aver sbagliato libro. Forse Follia lascia l’amaro in bocca perché tutti pagano le conseguenze dei loro comportamenti, delle loro mancanze e delle loro ossessioni e purtroppo, a farne maggiormente le spese è l’unico innocente di questo libro: Charlie, figlio di Stella e Max; vittima delle costanti ripicche e del costante disinteresse dei suoi genitori. Era così che volevo iniziare la mia recensione maaaaa....sono una voce fuori dal coro (e dire che che non sono poi così stonata ma tant'è).

Abby Valdez: A girl Dan's age who is studying Art at the New Hampshire College Prep for the summer. She's described as being "petite, with large brown eyes and creamy olive skin". [3] She is Dan's love interest. Insomma, un modo simpatico per associare, ad ogni malanno, un libro da leggere. Con l’indicazione di “Piccola farmacia letteraria” di libri ce n’erano diversi, ma io volevo “Follia” e non certo perché fumo, ma perché il titolo girava nella mia mente da un bel pezzo. I think it's writers like McGrath that can more commonly write books that are either a huge hit or miss. A contrast to author's who's expectant style is always comfortably familiar, full of characters and a world that are always there for you to sit down with, just like old familiar friends sitting in your living room watching TV with you...and so it's a no-brainer you can rest easy and enjoy. Asylum starts off rekindling the fires of a prose I'm immediately drawn to, even though its conclusion was more like a slowgoing moth to a flame. Preso dalla foga di voler creare un'eroina romantica, McGrath prende Stella e la trasforma in un coacervo di assurdi pensieri, che di follia hanno ben poco. La protagonista assoluta del romanzo è di una inconsistenza spaventosa: non c'è alcun filo logico nel suo sviluppo narrativo, e non c'è un filo logico nel suo ritratto psicologico.

Jordan: A guy Abby and Dan's age who Abby meets on the ride to campus. He's described as having "broody hair and broody face and cool, broody clothes". [4] Psychiatrist Peter Cleave tells a supposedly sordid tale of a former patient, love affairs gone terribly wrong, sexual obsession and madness but alas he’s such a boring fellow the story has no emotional appeal, no sense of drama, and no interesting tidbits to savor and drool over. He skims over the good stuff and me, being the fool I am, continued to read waiting for my interest to become engaged and hoping to feel something for these screwed up people. Alas, I remain a fool. And then Stella’s treating psychologist wants to marry her when her treatment is done? Perhaps if he kept his mind out of his own pants and actually concentrated on Stella he wouldn’t have been too late in the end. Stella obviously needs help, but all the men in this book are trying so hard to either get in her pants or contribute to her misery, she doesn’t get what she ultimately needs. And she must submit to them, even if it's not what she wants. This leads me to my next point..........

McGrath's Asylum is an elegant novel. Gothic and dark, it explores the nature of love and obsession as well as mental illness. The novel is, in many ways, timeless, and particularly, it was some time before I could have stated with any assurance the time period in which Asylum is set. Late 1950s, to be exact. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The brilliant interplay of the dialogue, and cast of characters, pulled me in, as well as the intricacies of the plot set up. And I don’t read romance. Thankfully this wasn’t anything like a romance novel. No detailed descriptions of the acts I love to do, but don’t care to observe others doing. Instead it was a downward spiral of madness, cruelty, obsession and straight up narcissism. McGrath gets to the root of things all humans have experienced and gives nice space to philosophize.Felix Sheridan: Dan's roommate at Brookline. He's described as "a lanky teenager...dressed like a door-to-door missionary in a starched white shirt, dark tie, and pleated trousers." [5] Avrei voluto sentire la febbre forse... una febbre che viene raccontata magistralmente (questo è innegabile) ma che sulla pelle non si sente davvero.

Avevo buone aspettative per questo romanzo. Avevo sentito parlare bene di McGrath, del suo stile e delle sue storie. E questa storia sembrava promettere bene, almeno a giudicare dalla quarta di copertina e, perchè no, dal primo centinaio di pagine. Purtroppo l'impressione era destinata a mutare molto presto. I studied psychology, I’ve been a social worker for the past 10 years. I know what grooming looks like, and Stella was being groomed by Edgar. He was emotionally abusive, and then later physically abusive. This was a relationship characterised by violence, and Stella was the victim. However, at times she is treated like she is responsible for Edgar’s actions. At one time the protagonist even asks why Stella didn’t see it and just leave? Seriously?! This review is going to be long enough, so I won’t go into the specifics around family violence… La sua identificazione con Edgar diventava ogni giorno più profonda. Mi disse che stava assumendo consapevolmente tutti i suoi gusti, le sue idee, i suoi sentimenti. Ho empatizzato solo con Edgrar alla fine e qui però mi faccio un paio di domande io :"tutto bene Laura? Sicura di aver capito che cos'ha fatto Edgar alla ex moglie?"

Then there was Charlie, Stella’s son. He was the real victim. The way his parents tried to influence him, and neither could recognise or do anything about their child’s sadness. They were too busy fighting with each other. This does not make either of the characters likeable. In fact, no one in this book was remotely likeable. Just as Edgar seems to relish the idea of bedding a psychiatrist's wife, so too does Stella enjoy her role as caretaker. Edgar is ill; therefore, Stella must take care of him, even if it means abandoning her husband and her child. The child she increasingly grows to resent because he is part of his father and therefore part of the imagined trap she feels exists around her. Max è un uomo completamente assorbito dal suo lavoro e dalle sue ambizioni; talmente occupato dalla voglia di curare la psiche dei suoi pazienti da non accorgersi di chi gli sta vicino e dei problemi che iniziano a crescere in modo incontrollabile.