Bedlam

by Ally Kennen

"I scream and scream until I can't scream any more"

Everyone says the old asylum is empty. The grounds are overgrown, the wards are deserted and the building is slowly crumbling to the ground. But Lexi is sure someone is there. Dogs are disappearing from the village. There's an unsettling howling in the night. And Lexi has a feeling...

A feeling that someone is watching her.

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Fiction

265 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2009

Reviews

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay read. Very "teen read" though. I wouldn't say it was particularly scary either, more a strange experience. The author does quite a good job of writing from the perspective of a teenage girl. The plot was pretty unimpressive and a bit silly to be honest, and I found myself drifting a bit towards the end.

[Masoome · Rating 4 out of 5]

لکسی دختر نوجوونیه که مجبور می شه یه مدت با مادر و دوست پسر (یا به قول کتاب، نامزد) مادرش زندگی کنه. کاراکتر لکسی، یه نوجوون واقعی بود، زود عصبانی می شد و از همه متنفر بود، در عین این که فکر می کرد می تونه دنیا رو به جای بهتری برای زندگی تبدیل کنه و فکر می کنه همیشه حق با خودشه. برای همین کتاب رو خیلی دوست داشتم.
تعدد اتفاقات باعث می شه نتونید کتاب رو زمین بگذارید!

[TSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5

The synopsis is misleading for sure but I was not disappointed. It's basically about a teenage girl who fohnd this boy who lived in an abandoned hospital for years and now she has to help him as someone is hunting the boy down.

It's been too long since I've read a book that got me hooked like this. It only took me a day to finish. The pacing was never slowed but it wasn't rushed either.

I don't think the main character was supposed to be likable but at least her character was a breath of fresh air for me (from all the YA MC I've read, I was thankful for this) but I can see why some would dislike her. I appreciate the author doesn't condone nor write her 'angsty attitude' as righteous. I think her character was written pretty well for an angsty teenager - not always pleasant but believable and (ig) logical for sure. I also love how the author wrote Lexi and her Mom's relationship. It wasn't exactly wholesome but I think it was done well, especially the reason behind her mom's abandonment and all that.

This is the second book I've read from Ally and she does not dissapoint. Looking foward to read Berserk next.

Highly reccomend this if you want a light teen fiction read.

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much a young teen type of book

[Bethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected and not in a good way.

When I picked this book up I was expecting a thriller. with a creepy asylum and and a character that lived there during that time. However I got none of that. The building was only there as part of the background, with more focus on the modern day usage of it.

I found the storyline dull and I didn't find myself flicking through it quickly. It was pretty much a romance which was a disappointment.

I enjoyed it and got to the end but it wasn't what I signed up for, so it was a disappointing read.

[Bef · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was enjoyable. Took me a day to finish. The blurb was very misleading though and so I can see why people are disappointed with the book. The main character is horrible though.

[Annukul · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the first book I read when I was 16. It was because of this book that I fell in love with reading.

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but not good either.

[al · Rating 1 out of 5]

The description of the book is very misleading.
“A nail-chewing thriller”??

[Avaani Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favourite book i've read so far

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this book. I thought it was fast paced and though it wasn't scary like I thought it would be, it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened and what was going to happen.

Lexi is from a troubled family, her mother ditched her and her brother when she was two, and now her Dad is sending her to live with her Mum. Her brother is a criminal, and no surprises but so is her Dad.

Her mother is in the process of getting married to a leacherous guy that Lexi hates. Soon after getting to the new town she loses her Mums dog and goes off looking for it in the woods. She stumbles across an old abandoned asylum where she also stumbles across a feral boy.

This leads to loads of things happening, and a mystery emerges as to who this boy is and why her step-dad Owen is after him.

This is definitely a young adult book rather than some gripping adult thriller, and I think it should be read with that understanding.

It is written in first person and is quite light hearted a humorous. Lexi has a pretty bad attitude but is a sweet girl at heart who is just a bit troubled.

Overall, as a young adult book I really enjoyed it. And I think in general I really enjoyed it. It wasn't too deep a book, but was a good time. I would recommend it to young readers, but probably not adult readers.

[frkvinter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried. Got to page 38, then I couldnt take it anymore.

Like, the MCs reasoning to enter a delapidated, broken asylum after 5+ hours in the woods being attacked and bitten by two dogs: "A spatter of rain hits my shoulder. Thats it.
Im not having my hair ruined, especially considering my straighteners are broken" (p35).

There was just so many things that bothered me. For example:

"It would be too embarrassing to be eaten alive. Imagine what the kids at school would say. Theyd kill themself laughing" p29

"My stomach rumbles, but remembering my massive thighs on the car seat, I decide a bit of hunger wont do me any harm. Collage starts soon and I dont want to look like a sow" p33

[Saloni J · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is written lucidly and is well- connected, not that deeply engrossing it is more about the life of 'Lexi Juby' rather than the story of the asylum and the Beacon House Hospital. the book also explains the psychological aspect of American teens and how do they cope with changes actually it must be said that the book gives insightful into the minds of American teens but it is being too much descriptive in that sense. although, the book has been written from the viewpoint of teenage life, it at times covers too many unnecessary detailing. The fact that Owen did not kill Kos's mother and goes on to serve the punishment for the same by the end of the story does not make much sense.

[Charlie Gardiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing read - the story seems to be marketed as a thriller but really isn’t at all. The story develops into a strange romance book and not a very good one.

A few points bothered me. A couple of times when Lexi (the 16yo main character) was almost being killed she was more worried about her appearance and weight ?? Feels a bit out of touch.

The plot around the refugee boy also felt out of touch - especially when he’s finally recovered, happy and living a good life and she’s no longer interested in him because of it?

It wasn’t an awful read, but not what it was marketed to be and a lot of the dialogue didn’t sit right with me

[Naina Rajput · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bedlam is about a 16 year old girl 'Lexi' and how she deals with the teenage feelings. Her father goes on a mysterious business trip yet again and she has to stay with her mom and her boyfriend which she hates. The place is kinda weird and all weird things happen there.

When her mother's dog goes missing, all things start getting darker. Stuck in the forest alone, no phone and mental asylum.

It is the story which perfectly goes through teenage emotions and how parents affect the mentality of a child. Ally kennen always portrays her character as bold and strong. It's a light read.

[Neha Bharti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I had expected from the synopsis and cover. And surely not a nail chewing thriller. Though it is a recent book, with subtle suspense elements. May be this would be more appealing to teenagers. Because the main characters are in that age group too. There is innocent sarcasm scattered in the book and the end chapters help to intensity the unraveling mystery. I was expecting an intense thriller but this was a fluffy book to get the year started.

[Dansev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean I would love this book as a 12yo, the main character is the typical idea of a teenage girl, facing typical problems with the society, family and generally her surroundings, but all and all, it ended unexpectedly so I can't really say it wasn't worth reading, but as I said I just needed to read it when I was younger.

[Harris Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book initially will give u the curiosity to find out what is in the forest, but the 2nd half of the book is not promising stil giving it 4 stars because of the environment it creates which keeps u in the book till the end.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would appeal to our Y9 and Y10 students. The author did a great job of writing from the perspective of a 16 teenage girl who is pretty self-absorbed. A quick easy fun read

[Aida Mousavian · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب خیلی هیجان انگیزی بود با اینکه میشد یجورایی حدس زد کی مجرمه ولی این چیزی از جذابیت کتاب کم نکرد عالی بود واقعا

[Bücherfresserin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spannende Geschichte, mit sozialkritischem Hintergrund"

Inhalt:
Lexi versteht die Welt nicht mehr. Wieso wird sie zu ihrer Mutter abgeschoben, die sich um sie sechzehn Jahre nie so wirklich kümmern wollte? Miesgrämig bleibt ihr jedoch nichts anderes übrig und so muss sie irgendwie mit ihrer Mutter und ihrem Lebensgefährten Owen klar kommen, der Lexi gegenüber immer seltsame Andeutungen macht. Kein Wunder also, dass Lexi mehr als schlecht gelaunt ist und dies auch keineswegs versteckt. Doch dann wir sie eines Morgens im Wald von wilden Hunden überfallen, als sie den Hund ihrer Mutter suchen will. Knapp entkommt sie der Meute, auch wenn sie deutliche Blessuren davon trägt. Aber was hat es mit diesen verwilderten Hunden auf sich? Als Lexi dann noch fast in einem einsturzgefährdeten Gebäude ertrinkt und nur knapp von einem Fremden gerettet werden kann, verändert sie sich. Aber was hat es mit ihrem fremden Retter auf sich? Was treiben die Hunde in dem verlassenen Klinikgebäude und kann Lexi ihre Mutter davon überzeugen, dass Owen ein mieses Schwein ist? Eines ist klar, er steckt mehr hinter allem, als Lexi zunächst denkt.

Meinung:
Bei “Verfolgt” handelt es sich um einen spannenden, sowie sozialkritischen Jugendroman. Die Autorin verbindet heikle politische Themen mit einer spannenden Handlung und ein paar Teenager Gefühlen. Dabei spielt die junge Lexi die Hauptrolle, die zu ihrer Mutter ziehen muss, da ihr Vater plötzlich für eine gewisse Zeit nicht mehr da sein kann. Wieso ihr Vater sie zu ihrer Mutter schickt, klärt sich erst im weiteren Verlauf der Story. Lexi ist ansonsten eine ziemliche Zicke, mitten in der Pubertät und für fast jeden Spruch zu haben. Sie erscheint wie ein typisches Teenager Mädchen aus der Großstadt, die einfach nicht an die Natur gewöhnt ist. Doch gerade dies ändert sich während “Verfolgt”, denn Lexi trifft auf die eine oder andere brenzlige Situation, wie, dass sie fast in einem verlassenen Klinikgebäude ertrinkt und nur knapp gerettet werden kann. Dazu kommt ein Rudel von verwilderten Hunden, das Lexi zu Beginn angreift, bis sie später die eigentliche Aufgabe der Hunde versteht. Zu Lexi gesellt sich ihre Mutter und vor allem Owen, der neue Freund ihrer Mutter. Mir war er schon zu Anfang suspekt und man merkt schnell, dass Lexi mit ihrer kritischen Meinung ihm gegenüber vollkommen richtig liegt.

Richtig spannend wird die Geschichte eigentlich erst, als Lexi von dem geheimnisvollen Fremden gerettet wird. Er nennt sich Kos und lebt mit seinen, geklauten Hunden im Wald. Er ist dreckig und scheint durch den wenigen Kontakt auch leicht zurückgeblieben und dennoch will Lexi ihm helfen. Manchmal schwappen selbst ihre Teenager Gefühle hoch, auch wenn sie sich bewusst ist, dass sie niemals zu diesem Waldjungen passen würde. Doch wirklich weit kommt sie mit diesen Gedanken nicht, denn wie es der Titel schon verspricht, wird Kos verfolgt und gerade Lexi merkt, dass nur sie ihm wirklich helfen kann. Langsam deckt sich Kos Vergangenheit auf und Lexi wird bewusst, wie tief sie eigentlich in Problemen steckt, aber aufgeben kommt natürlich nicht in Frage.

Die Autorin Ally Kennen ist schon durch ihre vorherigen Werke dafür bekannt, sozialkritische Themen anzusprechen. Bei “Verfolgt” geht es um den Umgang mit Asylanten und ihrem Abschiebungsprozess. Hierbei hält Ally Kennen sich nicht zurück und schreibt deutlich, wie es auch in vielen Ländern abläuft. Einfach nur brutal. Gerade das macht das Buch für zwischendurch sehr lesenswert, denn es ist teilweise wirklich unmenschlich, wie mit Asylanten umgegangen wird und gerade dies ist noch nicht jedem bewusst.

Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist jedoch eher unbefriedigend. Natürlich handelt es sich um einen Jungendroman, aber es gibt trotzdem unzählige Wortwiederholungen, vor allem zu Satzbeginn mit “Ich”. Das stört ein wenig den Lesefluss und dabei ist das Alter wohl belanglos. Dazu kommt, dass die Sätze alle sehr kurz und knapp sind, zwar gibt dies dem Roman Tempo, wodurch die Story an Spannung beibehält, aber wirklich schön zu lesen ist es dann auch nicht.

Das Cover hat mir persönlich gefallen, wobei die Hunde vielleicht ein wenig zu sehr im Mittelpunkt stehen. Klar, die verwilderten Hunde spielen eine Rolle, aber dennoch handelt es sich bei “Verfolgt” um keinen richtigen Thriller, wo böse Hunde Menschen jagen oder derartiges. Das ist eventuell etwas verwirrend, da man nicht direkt auf den Plot der Story kommt. Ansonsten finde ich das Cover von “Verfolgt” sehr passend für ein Jugendbuch.

Fazit:
Es handelt sich um eine spannende, sozialkritische Geschichte, in der Lexi einem verwilderten Jungen helfen will. Es geht keineswegs um einen Thriller, indem Hunde auf Menschenjagd gehen! Empfehlen kann ich diesen Roman vor allem Jugendlichen bis 16 Jahren, da der Roman durch eine interessante Story auf die Problem der Asylbewerber eingeht und die Schattenseiten derer Leben zeigt, die auf der Flucht sind.

[Elysephone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally Reading The Books I Bought Randomly in Charity Shops Years Ago and Then Never Read: #4

What did I just read?

This definitely falls into that category of mid-teen books that you randomly pick up from your school library shelf because the cover is so striking and you always notice it, for it to strangely haunt you for the rest of your life because of it's bizarre plot and darker, uncomfortable inclusions.

That being said I am happy I read it as an adult because I think it might have messed me up a bit if I read it at sixteen.

I will agree with one other reviewer on here that Lexi is at least a compelling enough protagonist in the sense that she's not a painful, not-like-other-girls slog that this genre was littered with in the late 2000s/early 2010s. She definitely does feel a bit like a fifty year old man trying to write a popular girl at times, and at other points purposefully trying to remind you that, despite this, she's also scrappy. For 2009 though, she's surprisingly alright, but I absolutely don't blame the people who put this book down after thirty pages because of her jarring lines that solidify her "teen-ness" through throw away lines of her obsessing with her looks and weight.

As for everything else ... I don't even know how to express my thoughts on it. Is it just painfully 2009? The "romance" completely threw me, almost making me consider putting the book down at exactly half way through because it felt so bizarre, and I feel like some - if not all - of its representations felt a bit ham-handed, to try a find an appropriate enough word. I don't really know how to articulate my feelings. I guess not awful ? But, ultimately, I can't see myself recommending it. Honestly - and at the expense of sounding like a Karen - I don't think I would want my teenage daughter reading this if I were ever to spawn one.

And ofc like everyone else sad: wildly inappropriately marketed. Who worked the cover and blurb for this book because I see the vision, but it was for a different book, sweet.

[Syeda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars it wasn't that interesting but the story was well written and the character Lexi was written well. She wasn't a teenager acting adult so it was refreshing. But if you're going in it to read a thriller then don't🙂

[Miss Bookiverse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nach der Inhaltsangabe habe ich von Bedlam eigentlich eine kleine Gruselgeschichte auf dem Gelände einer verlassenen Irrenanstalt erwartet. Ich habe mich richtig darauf gefreut, weil Irrenhäuser einfach verdammt viel Potenzial für schaurige Geschichten bieten. Das Gebäude, um das es in Bedlam geht, war in seiner Vergangenheit zwar mal ein Irrenhaus, aber es war zusätzlich auch ein Krankenhaus und ein Asylantenheim.
In der Geschichte geht es leider auch weniger um Irre als um eine kleine Problemgeschichte aus dem sozialen Bereich. War insgesamt auch nicht schlecht, aber leider nicht das, was ich wollte.

Protagonistin Lexi ist ein Fall für sich. Einerseits betont sie ständig wie wichtig ihr Make Up und Klamotten sind, andererseits zickt sie überhaupt nicht rum, wenn es mal darum geht sich die Hände dreckig zu machen. Das war natürlich ein angenehmer Charakterzug, besser als ein ewiges „Iiih, nein, da geh ich nicht rein, du stinkst“ etc. aber so richtig glaubwürdig fand ich das durch ihren Schminkwahn nicht.

Die Geschichte ist spannend erzählt und bietet ein aufregendes Finale. Neben dem geheimnisvollen Bewohner des verlassenen Asylantenheims geht es auch um das Thema Familie. Lexy versucht mit ihrer Mutter klar zu kommen, die sie als Kleinkind bei ihrem Vater zurückgelassen hat. Zusätzlich muss sie sich mit ihrem kriminellen Vater und Bruder und dem neuen Freund ihrer Mutter herumschlagen. Lexi ist dabei wahrlich nicht auf den Mund gefallen und versprüht neben ihrer Oberflächlichkeit auch Pepp und Willenskraft.

Alles in allem eine kleine Abenteuergeschichte, die sich mit einem ernsten Thema auseinandersetzt und es jugendgerecht aufarbeitet. Wahrlich kein schlechtes Buch, aber es konnte mich auch nicht über die Maßen begeistern.

Bedlam war mein zweites Mal mit Ally Kennen. Zuvor hatte ich Beast gelesen und ebenfalls dreistellig bewertet. Darüber wird es wohl auch nie hinausgehen. Wenn ich mal in der Stimmung bin, würde ich noch gern Berserk von ihr lesen. Der Plot klingt einfach zu interessant.

Bonus: Alle Hundeliebhaber werden auf ihre Kosten kommen :)

[Negin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[James Hargest Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

When sixteen year old Lexi is forced by her father to move in with her estranged mother, she thinks that she will die of boredom. But after her Mothers pet dog Tyson disappears, she’s tasked with finding him in the woods. After many hours of searching Lexi returns to the location of her mother’s boyfriend’s car, but finds out that she is lost, as it's not the location she wanted. After madly searching for the car she falls inside a deep hole, with dirty and cold water inside it. She is rescued by a stranger after fainting inside the hole, and wakes up to find her clothes drying on the clothesline, a cup of tea on the ground beside her and no sign of her rescuer. Now Lexi knows what to do during her stay find the stranger and thank him for rescuing her. And to also find Tyson, as he has to be somewhere nearby. The epic search of a lifetime will result in her finding some strange and interesting places nearby.
I first chose to read Bedlam because the short blurb on the back interested me: WHEN THEY CLOSED THE ASYLUM THEY THOUGHT EVERYONE HAD LEFT. It sounded a lot like a book that would interest me and was quite surprised after reading it. The main events that occurred in the book didn’t really involve with what the Blurb was mentioning; it only starts to happen ¾ of the way through. I personally would not read Bedlam again as it was too puzzling for me, and it took me by surprise that the protagonist was a girl as the Blurb had the effect on me that it would be a male protagonist. It will be a great read for all people that like to read adventures, and possibly to girls because of Lexi being the main character.- Ben K

[Ben Portus · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are lots of reasons Lexi Juby doesn't want to go and live with her mum. First, the village of Bewlea sucks. Second, Lexi's mum sucks. Third, Lexi's mum's boyfriend is a total utter sleaze-bag and really really sucks, big time.

But Lexi has no choice, because like most of the characters in Ally Kennen's novels, Lexi has had a pretty crap, complicated and troubled upbringing. Her dad's busy doing dodgy deals, and since her brother, Devlin, chopped off her boyfriend Chaz's finger in Ally's previous novel 'Berserk', he's not exactly proved himself to be baby-sitter material. So it is that Lexi arrives in the safety of her mother's home ... and all the trouble begins.

You see, Bewlea isn't a normal village. There are noises in the night, shadowy figures running the streets and rumours about a dark past. There's also an abandoned asylum centre somewhere up in the woods. When Tyson - Lexi's mum's dog - goes missing, it's all Lexi's fault. She's got to try and get him back ... but her efforts might just get her killed.

Bedlam is the third and final book in the loosely-linked trilogy that started with the award winning 'Beast', and it's another great read. A mixture of mystery-thriller, horror and angst-ridden teenage love story, the theme of asylum is strong throughout but doesn't spoil the plot. As with all of the Kennen books I've read, the final third was so gripping that I couldn't put it down.

[Yellowoasis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like this story, which is a shame because I loved Beast and wished it had won the Carnegie medal. I thought this was going to be a supernatural thriller, but instead it was a worthy (in the worst sense) examination of the plight of refugees, and it was rather crudely done. I didn’t really like any of the characters and couldn’t empathise with them.

[AdlinMemories · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most AWESOME mystery book I ever read!
I fell in love with this book:D

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good, i loved Kos.