Blue Asylum (Platinum Readers Circle (Center Point))

by Kathy Hepinstall and Becky Hepinstall Hilliker

Amid the mayhem of the American Civil War, a Virginia plantation wife is put on trial by her slaveholder husband. Iris Dunleavy is convicted of madness by a Virginia judge; it is the only reasonable explanation the court can see for her willful behavior, so she is sent to Sanibel Asylum to be restored to a good compliant wife. But Iris knows her husband is the true criminal; she is no lunatic, only guilty of disagreeing with him on Southern notions of justice, cruelty, and property. On a remote Florida island, a pompous superintendent heads this asylum populated by wonderful characters, including his self-diagnosing twelve-year-old son, a woman who swallows anything in sight, and Ambrose Weller, a Confederate soldier whose memories terrorize him into wild fits that can only be calmed by the color blue, but whose gentleness and dark eyes beckon to Iris. The institution calls itself modern, but Iris is skeptical of its methods, particularly the dreaded "water treatment." In this isolated place, she finds love with Ambrose. But can she take him with her if she escapes? Will there be anything for them to make a life from, back home? This novel is the story of a spirited woman, a wounded soldier, their impossible love, and the call of freedom.

• ISBN10: 0547712073
• ISBN13: 9780547712079
• Publish Date: 10 April 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Houghton Mifflin
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 270
• Language: English

Reviews

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Blue Asylum starts out very slowly, taking many pages simply to build the world of the asylum. From the beginning, the book has set the reader up to believe this is an urgent tale of love and escape—but it never actually develops a sense of urgency. Iris patiently allows the planning of her escape to take many months, and the relationship between her and Ambrose develops just as gradually. In fact, it develops so quietly that the revelation a third of the way through the story that the two are in love is somewhat surprising.

Blue Asylum also fails to deliver on its most intriguing aspect—the question of what makes a person insane. Iris’s sanity is never at stake; from page one it is clear she has been sent to the asylum by a mistake or as revenge by her husband. Everyone else around her is clearly insane by some definition—eating buttons, thinking shadows are miraculous, and having fits. (The exception of course, is Ambrose, who has PTSD, which makes his presence in the asylum reasonable for the time period but sympathetic for the modern reader.) Somewhat disappointingly, Blue Asylum is not really about an asylum; it just happens to be set in one.

The book does have its strengths, however, and the characterization stands out. Hepinstall provides complex portrayals of a wide variety of characters—ranging from the conceited but rundown superintendent to his lively but neglected twelve-year-old son. Each character is distinct and has an intriguing, often slightly tragic life story that will keep readers invested in the book. Following their lives individually and as they overlap is a true pleasure.

The writing style also fits the book very well. It combines dialogue, description, and thought to create an atmosphere that reflects some of the confusion and disbelief that Iris feels. The story at times can feel as though it is coming through a haze, and a plethora of memories emphasizes the sensation. Yet it works, particularly once the reader accepts that, although this book does address a lot of tough issues—including women’s rights, slavery, and love—it is calm because Iris is calm.

Blue Asylum is a thoughtful work, and readers who like books based on characters and the exploration of human behavior and nature will enjoy it. Readers looking for a historical fiction based very heavily during the Civil War will be somewhat unsatisfied, as most of the action takes place in the isolation of the island.

Content Note: masturbation and some sex

This review was also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

[celinenyx]

If a book has an asylum in it, I'm always game. But this one was a surprise; Blue Asylum has so much to offer.

In the time of the war between the South and the North, wife of a Southern slaveholder is sent to an asylum. Here she meets a cast of characters including the self-proclaimed crazy son of the psychiatrist, a woman that swallows small objects and a soldier that uses the colour blue to keep his war traumas at bay. But Iris doesn't believe she's mad; and there is only one thing on her mind. Freedom.

Ms Hepinstall writes with a dreamlike quality that fits wonderfully in this story. The way she describes the island where the asylum is located, to the sea and the creatures. It was beautiful. If it weren't for the asylum, I would have loved to live there.

Now as for the asylum itself, it was like a fresh breeze into the genre. Usually asylums are bleak places, with small empty rooms with only a metal bed. A place where behind a pretty façade there are horrible things going on. But none such thing in Sanibel Asylum. The place is light and breezy. The rooms have comfortable beds and paintings on the wall. The patients can have walks on the beach and a weekly swim in the sea. They dine together with the psychiatrists family and eat the same fine food. I loved the contrast between the beautiful asylum which is a prison, and the freedom outside where there is a war going on.

The story is about so much more than a woman fighting for her freedom. There are so many underlying themes such as faith, war, slavery, family, destiny and of course love. What made Blue Asylum a five-star read for me is that even though it contains so many heavy themes, it never gets preachy. There is no narrator telling you "This is the way it should be". There are only the characters, fighting their own situation, and discovering themselves while doing it.

Blue Asylum will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is a lot of mystery going on, and the secrets won't be revealed until the very end.

A truly amazing book.