Reviews

Asylum by Nina Shope

natashangel's review

dark sad slow-paced

3.0

sanmeow's review

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kstockill's review

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

clairevoyance's review

5.0

This stunning piece of literary fiction captures the reality of a constructed condition—how pseudoscience can impact its proponents, victims, and audiences in an exquisitely unnerving way. In Nina Shope’s Asylum, the hysterical woman is not to be trusted; she is to be studied, probed, picked apart. She is a live mold for casts and electrically wired and displayed for large audiences, in explicit, raw performances of what the hysterical body was made to do. Though hard to read—each paragraph laced with vivid, often disturbing detail—I was enraptured by the content, made even more impactful by the fact it was built upon real history. It’s important to recognize the lasting distrust of women in our society, and reading and reflecting with brilliantly-written historical fiction is such an enlightening means to do so. I’d recommend this to any reader who enjoys remarkable and thoughtful prose, as well as anyone interested in the depths of what “stagecraft” was in the 19th century. 5 stars.

Thank you to Dzanc Books for this galley!

afriendwithfiction's review

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Forced institutionalization, and Chronic illness