Asylum

By: Patrick McGrath

Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

From our most celebrated writer of the psychological thriller comes this nerve-wracking yet eerily beautiful work of erotic obsession and madness. In the summer of 1959, Stella Raphael joins her psychiatrist husband, Max, at his new posting: a maximum-security hospital for the criminally insane. Beautiful and headstrong, Stella soon falls under the spell of Edgar Stark, a brilliant and magnetic sculptor who has been confined to the hospital for murdering his wife in a psychotic rage.

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.

©1999 Patrick McGrath (P)2008 BBC Audio

Critic reviews

"The book is hypnotizing, with its own strange but darkly convincing pace and style; and the way in which nature and climate are woven into the fabric of the bizarre couple's strange love is masterly." ( Publishers Weekly)

The nuts are running the nuthouse!

This book was well done...only 4 stars because it ended so abruptly. I think a lot of people are missing the point here...the doctors "treating" the patients can be as obsessed and dangerous in their thinking as their patients, given the right circumstances...that's what was so engaging. Peter's faulty treatment of Stella, clouded by his desire for her rather than her successful recovery, made him as dangerous as the other inmates which ultimately resulted in her death. Very interesting premise and subtle which can make it seem at first like a simple case of adultery.

Heartbreaker

Loved this book. The complex elements absolutely make it. I really enjoyed the narrator's perspective and navigating his psychology as well as the other characters'.

A most chilling and enjoyable read.

Fascinating story read most beautifully by Sir Ian McKellan. Intriguing from beginning to end. I could hardly put it down, I must say.

Captivating

This book was so good! The ending was terrible though as I still have so many questions! Otherwise I was so captivated and it was so good! I couldn’t stop listening and even got my fiancé interested in reading!

just here for sir Ian

besides Ian McKellen it's nothing great so far I'm having a hard time finishing it but it is a treat hearing him narrate

Wonderful Story and Narration!

I'm not sure if I enjoyed the story or the narration more. It was read perfectly! sometimes the narrator can distract from the content but in this case I thoroughly enjoyed both!

twist and turn

great story. excellent twist and turn. excellent narrator. illuminates the frailty of the human psyche

Sir Ian McKellen’s Masterful Reading of a Intriguing Novel

First and foremost, this Audible book was highly enjoyable because of the way Sir Ian read it. He was amazing! The story of a bored loveless wife could seem hackneyed. How many other books have lumbered this well-worn dusty path? But this one is different: it was written from the POV of an omniscient third-party narrator who is /was a psychiatrist who knew all the parties, and he offered his professional insights on ever major character throughout the narrative. The ebbs and flows of mental illness, jealousy, fear, anger, lust, etc…were recounted in a calm (but not bloodless) concerned professional voice that made neurosis or psychosis seem remarkably understandable. And when terrible things happened the voice of the doctor-narrator provided suitable dramatic tension but also keen psychological insights. He (Ian McKellen as the wise Dr. Peter Cleve) was almost entirely non-judgmental but late in the story there were many subtle and then not so subtle changes in his statements that would require a lengthy spoiler alert. Sir Ian uses very convincing voices to bring Stella, Max, Brenda, Edgar and Charlie to life. I really enjoyed the quality of the writing and the reading. This is one of the best books I’ve encountered in Audible.

Great book!!

I really loved this story. I just couldn’t stop listening to it! Gripping, enticing, overall a wonderful read. Wonderful story.

Descent into Madness

The beautiful Stella falls passionately in love with Edgar while he is a patient in a mental hospital. The plot that ensues is both frightening and fascinating. The intimacy with which McGrath portrays Stella, her psychological environment, and the surroundings in which she travails is nothing short of brilliant. With each page the reader is drawn into Stella's world with amazing accuracy. Her lover, Edgar Stark, is aptly named because the deeper Stella walks into his world, the more stark her world becomes. Stella's husband, Max, is not the noble man he believes himself to be, yet the reader keeps hoping he will become that. Max is as psychologically damaged as Edgar, but Max's actions are seen as more civilized since they are so well covered. But Max can be perceived as far more dangerous and it could be argued that it is Max who ultimately destroys Stella. Peter, the pseudo-hero is so full of hubris that he realizes too late Stella's true condition and becomes the last victim of Stella's tragic affair. From beginning to end we watch Stella walk the knife edge of sanity until, in the end, she chooses to fall. The book stays with you long after the last word is uttered. It is read well. I highly recommend the novel.