The Muse Asylum

by David Czuchlewski

Enter The Muse Asylum and watch the lives of three recent college graduates become entangled by romantic and literary obessions, and by their search to uncover the identity of the great modern American writer Horace Jacob Jake Burnett, a young reporter and reverent fan of the reclusive author, determined to make a name for himself by unmasking the legend; Andrew Wallace, a disturbed genius and inmate of the Overlook Psychiatric Institute for artists, who is convinced that Horace Jacob Little is plotting against him; and Lara Knowles, the girl they both love. The three try to break through the shadows and tricks of the enigmatic author, only to find themselves caught in a twisted game of reflections and reversals, where each seems to be pursuing another - for love, for success, or for some far more sinister purpose. And with the truth becoming more and more blurred by literary mind games, Jake dismisses Andrew's paranoid fantasies as being simply the result of too many Horace Jacob Little stories - strange tales of men without memories, of visitors from Dante's Inferno . As Andrew becomes increasingly distraught, and perhaps dangerous, the quest for the author threatens to unhinge everyone involved. And Jake begins to Who is Horace Jacob Little, and what is he trying to hide?

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Mental Illness, Contemporary, Americana, Novels

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This came up as a recommendation for me on another book site. I’d never heard of it, but it did indeed sound like my kind of thing, so I took a chance and bought a secondhand copy, and you know what – fair play, it was a good recommendation. I can’t resist a literary mystery. In The Muse Asylum, a struggling young reporter, Jake Burnett, decides to track down the author Horace Jacob Little, an influential cult figure who’s nevertheless managed to remain anonymous for decades. When he starts to investigate Little, Jake discovers his college classmate Andrew tried to do the same thing and became obsessed, ultimately being admitted to a psychiatric institute due to his conviction that Little was stalking him. There’s a second similarity between Jake and Andrew: they both fell in love with the same woman – another fellow student, Lara – to whom Andrew has dedicated a memoir, his ‘Confessions’, detailing Little’s supposed crimes.

There’s something oddly quaint, now, about this sort of book, even though it’s only 20 years old. It’s set in New York, but pretty much everyone in it is a wealthy white Ivy League grad; the most marginalised character is Jake, just because he’s not megarich; Jake’s interest in Lara is creepy and obsessive to say the least, but is mostly presented as though it’s romantic. Despite its flaws, I was gripped; I can forgive a story a lot if it has a nugget of something genuinely intriguing at its core, and this one does. Whatever else is going on, however pompous Jake sounds, the conundrum of Little’s identity is always fascinating, and held my interest to the end. (Also, the descriptions of his work make it sound truly enthralling. Never underestimate the power of an imagined oeuvre.)

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[SurferRosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho riletto con piacere dopo tanti anni questo bel thriller letterario che ruota attorno alla figura dello srittore Horace Jacob Little, considerato dalla critica come il maggiore scrittore americano contemporaneo e di cui nessuno conosce l'identità. In modi diversi ma convergenti, due ex-studenti di Princeton, Andrew Wallace (completamente ossessionato dalla misteriosa figura dell'autore, fino a sconfinare nella pazzia) che su HJL ha scritto la sua tesi, e Jake Burnett, ora giornalista del "Ledger", si mettono sulle sue tracce con risultati sorprendenti.
Questo romanzo ha vari pregi e, non volendoli elencare tutti, ne sottolineo almeno un paio. Innanzitutto la lunghezza: Czuchlewski, in un numero contenuto di pagine ha sviluppato una bella trama nella quale ogni tassello va piano piano al posto giusto con estrema onestà. Poi, il colpo di scena finale rientra nel novero del plausibile, è realistico, è, ancora una volta, onesto.
Peccato che molti autori che si cimentano negli ambiti del thriller o del mystery o del noir non seguano questo bell'esempio del 2001 (tra l'altro di un autore che a quanto mi risulta, dopo questo e un altro romanzo si è messo a fare altro, mi pare il medico) e abbiano sempre bisogno di rigirare le loro matasse per svariate centinaia di cartelle, abbiano un certo gusto per colpi di scena multipli via via sempre più improbabili e siano, in definitiva, un po' meno onesti.

[Donna TalentedReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listen for my muse, and I can only hear her in silence. Writing is an intensely private process. I'm afraid there's no grand philosophical justification for my secrecy. The desire to know all about an author is a sign of laziness on the part of the reader. It's easier to digest a work of literature when you can attach it to a face, or a set of political beliefs or life style choices. When all you have is the text, or a body of work, you have to confront what is written.

The book is told from two points of views, from Jake Burnett as recent events unfold, and from the autobiography of Andrew Wallace as past events unfold. Jake Burnett is a journalist chasing the story of the secret and reclusive author Jacob Horace Little. Andrew Wallace is a patient at The Overlook Psychiatric Institute, or The Muse Asylum, who has descended into madness with theories surrounding Horace Jacob Little. When things are never quite what they seem, how do you know who to trust?

This book!! It seemed to start out a little slow but it was still enough to keep me engaged. You find yourself descending into madness right alongside the characters. The twist at the end I didn't see coming but surely should've!

[Joanne]

Another novel about intellectual college students who probably majored in comparative lit., but it held my interest and has a great ending. Made me want to understand what they mean by "postmodernism". The author was a student of Joyce Carol Oates - so that explains it!

[Melanie Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating storyline and characters, but some problems with the writing style as others have pointed out. For me the problem was primarily with Jake's narration; at times the prose he uses to describe things, especially his metaphors, are just really bad hackneyed descriptions a writer who needs more practice might use. I didn't know if this was intentional, since Jake is sort of a failed novelist, or just something that didn't get caught in the rewriting process. Thankfully this didn't happen enough to interfere with my enjoyment of the novel because of how interesting the characters and the story itself were, but I did find myself relieved whenever a chapter was written from Andrew's perspective. Oddly enough, these shortcomings didn't seem as present in his few sections; I wonder if the author spent more time on them or had an easier time writing from Andrew's perspective.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up at Elliot Bay Bookstore while in Seattle. It was a recommend by one of the staffers and I must say I'm glad I grabbed it. I believe this book may be out of print, which is a shame. I love the way the story unfolded, it's not quite a story within a story but a story closely interconnected with another and where there are parallels. Who is this Horace Jacob Little and how can I get my hands on his books? :) A great novel by a first time author. Can't wait to read his second novel.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read it in a long time, but I would still call it a favorite because of how much I enjoyed reading it. At times it's a bit predictable, the love story isn't that compelling, and the writing style isn't terrific (particularly the dialogue), but what do you expect from a first-time author? It's the intricacies of the plot that got me. There are terrific little ideas and images and details woven throughout that I couldn't get out of my head.

[diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange book.

I am not sure how I feel about this book. It was intriguing without ever having a big reveal of ahHA or a confirmation of the theories of the characters. It seemed a study of madness and how madness can perpetuate itself and how madness can start out quit logical but at some point logic and reality fail to meet up and lo, you are in madness.

But it was also not about that.

I will have to think about this some more.

[Cyn Cooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a truly enjoyable read with some very cool twists and turns. I love books about books and writers and this one did not disappoint. I was a little concerned at first that it was going to be another story about hyper intellectual college students and their tormented lives of privilege but it wasn't, it was a bit trickier and far more clever.

[M.E.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book making me wish GR had half star notations - this was 3 and a half stars. Good but makes you really want to read the books they're talking about in the story.

[Kitty | MyCuriousReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better the second time.

[Ocean G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Bookrack in Charlotte, completely on spec. I wanted a not-too-long fiction book. These gambles rarely work, but this was an exception.

I disagree with some other commenters, who say they didn't like the dialog. That might have been one of the first things that grabbed me. It wasn't common, nor awkward, but quick, erudite and witty enough to keep me going.

The story itself dragged me into it, including the "madness" sections, and I thought I had figured out the twist, and then, turns out I hadn't.

Anyway, I'm very happy I discovered this author, and I shall be searching for more of his books.

I find it amusing to read that the author was a student of Joyce Carol Oates', who describes the book as post-modern, when there is a scathing commentary within the book on terms like "post-modernism".

Also, I really wanted to read all the short stories mentioned in the book.

[Tim Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short, surprisingly intriguing mystery gripped me from beginning to end. The main character, Jake Burnett, dives deep into the world of a paranoid schizophrenic, Andrew Wallace.

Burnett endeavors—as Wallace once did—to uncover the true identity of the reclusive, but prolific author Horace Jacob Little. The story unfolds quickly and comprehensively.

Though many reviews I’ve read declare the excerpts of Wallace’s delusion-ridden autobiography to be of little value, I think they’re paramount to this quickly paced and detailed narrative. Not only are they integral to the depiction of Wallace’s madness, but also they are critical to understanding his fate. Moreover, they add more color and intrigue to the ending.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Muse Asylum (2001)

Scrittura fluida, buon intreccio, bella l'idea (inventata?) del Manicomio delle Muse, casa di cura per artisti con problemi mentali. Lo scrittore al centro della trama, Horace Jacob Little, è ispirato a Salinger nel suo nascondersi come persona per voler comunicare solo attraverso i suoi scritti: in effetti questo libro mi ha fatto riflettere su quanto sia strano che Salinger ci sia riuscito. L'autore ha studiato scrittura e ora medicina - questo mese è il secondo scrittore con questo curriculum che leggo (l'altro è Bazell): forse questa cosa di studiare creative writing, che in Italia non si fa, è utile dopotutto.

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok imma be honest, I absolutely hated this book at first. I had no idea what was going on and it was a little boring. But after you get about half way through it gets GOOD. I read the last half in one sitting. Oml the way that he writes is phenomenal. There’s little secrets on every page. And the ending reveals things but also still leaves you guessing on what really happened and what’s going to happen. This book makes me want to decode every single little thing. One of the best books I’ve read for school. Amazing

[Erin Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick little read and I was hooked on the mystery in the beginning of the book, but the plot twist kind of falls flat and then nothing really happens with it. Like it’s a mystery so there should be more mystery at the end and perhaps some loose ends or characters you’re not sure if you’re rooting for, but this felt too clean-especially for a book about madmen and murder! I wanted more drama. But it’s well written and an interesting premise.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very different from most psychological mysteries I've read. The author bio on back flap had Czuchlewski in med school and I wondered how he would have time to write fiction. I thought perhaps he was studying to become a Psychiatrist, because of the nature of the plot, but an internet search shows him in NM as a hematologist pathologist. Interesting.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

picked this up on a whim in a used bookstore based purely on the first page. could barely put it down from then on. propulsive, beguiling, funny, thrilling and surprisingly poetic, full of intricate plot puzzles, endearing characters and genuinely interesting philosophical questions. highly recommend

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. It’s absorbing, the characters are fantastic, their thoughts often echo strange unthought truths we should all have considered...and then the whole thing flips on its head. I love it.

[Goodreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember being surprised at how easily this mystery author was found, after all the talk of how impossible he was to find. I thought more of the story would be consumed with this. Clever ending and last few lines.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this at the library sale long ago because I loved the title and the cover. Finally read it after being on my shelf for years and I was pleasantly surprised. Love all the paranoia and plot-twists. Perfect ending.

[Katherine Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Muse Asylum by David Czuchlewski: The lives of three Princeton grads are intertwined with the identity of a writer and his mysterious life. The story was fine, I just cared very little for the characters, especially the one female. Anticlimactic and a bit boring.

[Margeaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boo. But also, wow? A fresh new writing structure with well developed characters and rhythm. After reading this book I would admittedly be wary of meeting the author. The reason being is that getting into the mind of some of these characters is impressively skillful and scary.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m surprised how much I liked this book. A thrift store pickup that looked intriguing at the time. Turned out to be a great whimsical mystery, written specifically for fiction lovers. Fun read!

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing else at hand at the time.

[C.R. Leverette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book 3 or 4 times now, and it's still so great. The characters, the writing, the plot. I love it all.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it all in one sitting- very enthralling but not entirely world shaking. Fantastically written though. Feels like someone telling you a crazy story you’ll think about at random times

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

My chief take away from this is that an asylum for creative types sounds like a pretty awesome place to be.

[kade · Rating 4 out of 5]

i surprisingly had a good time reading this

[Mila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good beach read. It’s well-written and interesting. And i am surprised it’s still not a movie. 😄