Some Can See

A Northern Michigan Asylum Novel

By: J.R. Erickson

Narrated by: Allyson Voller

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The dead have stories to tell. Are you listening?

On a sunny August morning, in 1935, 13-year-old Sophia Gray finds her friend Rosemary wandering in the woods. Rosemary’s yellow dress is tattered and stained, she walks with a strange lurch, and her eyes are vacant and glassy. She beckons to Sophia, desperate to show her something, and Sophia follows. 

In an abandoned cabin, beneath a tattered blanket, Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body. It was not Rosemary who led her there, but Rosemary’s ghost. 

Step into the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane

Twenty years after Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body, she finds herself trapped in the sprawling, and eerily beautiful, Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane, in the hands of a malevolent doctor who preys on patients who exhibit paranormal abilities. 

Sometimes the dead don’t rest

In 1965, Hattie, much like her mother, 30 years before, is led by a ghost. A newspaper hidden in an attic reveals a secret that has shaped the lives of Hattie and her siblings. Hattie with her sister, Jude, embark on a crusade to remedy the wrongs of the past and discover the tale of deception that stole their mother a decade before. 

Hattie and Jude are in a race against time to discover a murderer and save their mother from a horrific fate. 

Get lost in a uniquely chilling story that spans the life of a family and the ghosts who haunt them.

©2018 Jacqueline R Erickson (P)2019 Jacqueline R Erickson

Give it a few chapters...it's worth it!

Some Can See is the first novel in the Northern Michigan Asylum series by J.R. Erickson. Ms. Erickson is a resident of Traverse City IRL, which is where the Northern Michigan Asylum was back in the day. Ms. Erickson had a fabulous knack for crafting what I felt was a beautifully written and suspenseful novel. Fair warning, as others have mentioned, it does take a few chapters to get into the story. I restarted it twice, as I really wanted to listen, but just couldn't get into it right away. Please take the time to listen and get through it though-it's definitely worth it!

This is the story of Sophia, a woman who "sees" things and who was accused for the murder of a childhood friend when she was a little girl. There are two main timelines that go back and forth in this story, and in the present day, Sophia's daughters, Jude and Hattie are trying to find out what exactly happened to their mother after finding some suspicious newspaper clippings. The doctor that was/is in charge of their mom is an absolutely horrific man who performs strange and unusual experiments on her and, well, it's just a fun, well-written listen! Trigger warning, there is reference to rape. It doesn't go into any real detail, but there is mention of rape.

I've listened to a few novels narrated by Allyson Voller before and I've always enjoyed her narration. She has a beautiful reading voice and is easy to follow along with. Her narration adds to the ease at which I'm able to get lost in an audiobook and I think I'd likely be perfectly happy listening to her read an instruction manual. Now if that isn't a good recommendation, I don't know what is :) I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

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Holy Crap!!!

I was given this book for free at my request and I am leaving a voluntary review:

OMG, I am totally in love with this audiobook! JR Erickson can really write beautifully. I will agree with some of the other reviewers, it did take a few chapters for me to get into it. But after a few chapters, I had everything figured out and I couldn't stop listening! It was soooo good. And the narrator did an excellent job as well! I can't wait to read/listen to the next one.

Some can See

This would be a good story if I could only listen to it. The narrator is stilted and reads like a kid. she seems to have brief pauses between words, where they don’t belong. And her inflections are rare and again, juvenile. I tried several times to continue the story but I just can’t. Maybe a re-release of the book with a different narrator would make this a good author to follow.

Absolutely brilliant psychological thriller!!

A decade ago, Sophia was trapped in an asylum with a doctor who is obsessed with her and her ability to see the dead, because she was suspected of murder. In the present, Hattie and Jude, Sophia's daughters, try to uncover the truth about the murder and save their mother from a torturous fate.

Wow! Jacki wrote an absolute masterpiece with this one! The way that the past and present develop at an exciting pace kept me enthralled throughout. I was literally on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens. The twists, oh so many wonderfully interwoven and created twists, made the story interesting and engrossing. The plot, characters and scenery was so well written i visualised the story like a movie playing in my mind. Jacki has an amazing imagination and is one of the most talented writers i have ever had the pleasure to listen to.

Allyson narrated well, she had great energy and felt like a perfect fit for the story. She has an airy sort of quality in her voice making the story's aura of eeriness spot on.

I highly recommend this absolutely amazing psychological thriller, as well as the rest of the Northern Michigan Asylum series! When you read one, you wont be able to stop till you hear them all!

Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.

Ugh...it could have been so good!

This book could have been great but the plot died 1/2 way through the book and ended in a very odd unsatisfactory way.

Worse than the story is the narrorator. She’s HORRIFIC. Every time she attempted to talk for a man I cringed. It was awful.

Save your credits. Don’t waste them on this book.

Wonderful

by far one of the best stories I've heard in a long time. the narration was amazing.

Wow!!

This book was written so well and with such detail you could just about picture the Asylum with ease. The characters work within the story line smoothly and with such ease you feel pulled into the drama with them. Well worth the credit or cost. I just started the 2nd book as I write this.

Creepy and Entertaining... Great Narration

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

I enjoyed this book, it was thrilling and kept my attention throughout. There were some slower parts, but I think the somewhat measured pace allowed for a build up of suspense. Narration was well done, and audio quality was good. I’ll definitely seek out other stories from this author.

Not what the cover told me LOL

Choppy storyline hard to followTends to drag on and onI had to go back and read it from the beginning a couple times because I just couldn’t get my head wrapped around it not a good read for me.

great read!

I really enjoyed this book. It has action, suspense, emotion, great characters and an amazing storyline. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Visions: gift or curse?

I enjoyed this, after an initial struggle at the beginning, when I was confused as to what was happening and how everyone fitted into the time frame. Once I had that sorted out it became a rather sad story about someone incarcerated in a mental asylum for no reason other than to get rid of them. Frighteningly believable.

The title refers to the ability that Sophia and her daughter, Hattie, have, to see and receive messages from the dead. This leads them into all sorts of suspicion and trouble, but also saves them eventually. I'm not particularly a believer in the paranormal, but I am prepared to embrace it as a possibility if it is well written.
Life in the asylum was awful, with patients being used for experimentation; it was quite traumatic to read in parts. While Sophia is incarcerated, her children believe that she is dead, thanks to the grandmother from hell. So, not a cheerful read and not a very convincing, or satisfying ending. One aspect of the ending made me smile, but quite a few people simply got away with their various crimes.

Well narrated by Allyson Voller.

3.5 stars

History and the Supernatural

Sometimes, running away only makes things worse as is expounded on throughout this novel. The different branches of this tale show how family, intimidation, greed, fear, murder, and the preternatural combine and can complicate things. However, those same elements show us how facing these issues head-on can also help bring us the joy and closure we need.

Interesting listen.

Overall a great book, however, I did find the "solve the murder" part of the book overlooked with no real explanation. It's a shame, because it really was a good book.

Loved it.

Great story.
Had me hooked from the start, loved the writing style and the suspense.
Fantastic Read!