Asylum by Madeleine Roux
Review by Allison Johnstone Published by HarperCollins
I found this spooky book on my bookshelf and finally got around to reading it on a sunbed. Incongruous in the extreme as Madeleine Roux’s Asylum is a claustrophobic, spooky and murderous mystery.
Dan Crawford signs up for the summer programme at New Hampshire College in order to make friends. The school is set in the grounds of a former asylum but that seems to be the only downside, as he quickly meets some interesting people – notably the vibrant Abby.
But Dan is soon disturbed when he receives some threatening messages; along with his friends they find disturbing images and they start to explore the dank corridors uncovering the asylum’s dark secrets – as well as the terrible traumas of its inhabitants.
Roux writes with great authority, and gets the language just right. The characters are true; their curiosity leading them to open doors the reader knows they shouldn’t.
The denouement is a genuine surprise and might disappoint some. Nevertheless, it’s a cracking yarn that should satisfy the ghoulish tastes of teenagers. The images dotted throughout are photographs of actual asylums. Frightening. Look out for the sequel, published this month.