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Saturday, September 5, 2015

ASYLUM – MADELEINE ROUX

Have to admit I'm a sucker for a beautiful book. Asylum is another elegant photo illustrated book like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It also has the rich looking end pages and chapter dividers. It is freakish looking yes, dark and disturbing, but it isn't long and this is my mood, so …

Dan Crawford a college prep student is excited to get into an exclusive summer program. However, when he gets to the school he finds out that some of the dorms are closed and he is among students assigned to stay in Brookline, a building that was once an insane asylum.

Dan and his friends Abby and Jordan are curious. They explore the basement finding old medical records. The students begin to have horrifying dreams and Dan begins to have blackouts. He also finds unusual emails and texts on his computer that he does not remember, and is told of conversations he is sure he did not have. Other students begin to be attacked and the horror escalates to tragedy.

The premise of vibrations or hauntings buried in the bricks and mortar of buildings is covered often these days on TV shows like Ghost Hunters and is a popular concept that works well in this book. The eerie photographs accompanying the chapters creates a dark ominous feel to make your skin rise up in goosebumps. The acknowledgments at the end include citations for the photographs and they are all from actual asylums.


Good young adult book even for adults. I would read it again.

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