Asylum, by Madeleine Roux, is a horror novel designed to introduce horror in an understandable and relatable way to young adults. It describes a troubling past/present and interior/exterior conflict of a young character, and creates a dark and mysterious tone by disguising the secrets of an old asylum. It’s an interesting story that presents context the audience so eagerly desires in a simple and understandable way. The story is fitting for the preteen audience because they can easily grasp what the author wants them to grasp, while coaxing them to understand a more complex plot. The first strategy I learned from this book was how to present information effectively. Roux provided the perfect amount of information to make the reader think, while not allowing them to make definitive conclusions about the past of this asylum and how it intertwines with our protagonist. She sprinkles this information throughout the story, in juxtaposition to more dramatic parts of the story. It is concise and helps strengthen the plot, as it allows readers to delve deeper into the backstory of the asylum. Most importantly, in the end, if a reader were to review all the information given to them chronologically, it would all make sense. As a teenage reader, though, rather than the targeted preteen reader, some of the first information given to me revealed one of the larger plot points, so I’m not sure how other readers would process the information. Still, it was exciting that I had figured it out, and was propelled to read even further when new information was given to support my hypothesis. Overall, the mysterious story Roux creates is buttressed by context sneakily hidden through detail in the text, creating a more interesting and thought-provoking plot. Another strategy I learned how to improve on was how to create a distinct mood. As this is meant to be a horror novel revolving around the setting of an old asylum, there are a lot of sections of the book that truly highlight the creepy mood and strong detail Roux uses. One such example is when the protagonist is wrapped up in the mystery of the asylum, and begins to grow paranoid and almost crazy. The following is a delusion he has which showcases the mood that Roux creates, “It looked like a cell of some sort, with floors and walls made of heavy gray stone. An operating table covered with a thin, white sheet stood in the middle of the room...But the most unnerving thing about the room was the pair of shackles…[with] dark red stains…far too wet to be rust” (44).I believe that this scene uses great detail and creates a mood that is terrifying, especially because the readers can’t discern from reality and delusion at the time. Creating a strong mood is important for bringing out emotion in your readers, and Roux does that very well with this and many other scenes. Of course, it is noteworthy to add that the novel also includes some photographs which depict what is detailed in the text, thus helping the audience visualize even further. Personally, I would’ve preferred Roux giving us even more detail to create this mood without the need of photographs, as it would require the audience to imagine the scene and resonate in our minds better. Overall, Roux chooses a strong setting and uses detail to create a mood that effectively evokes fear from her readers. The final takeaway from this book revolves a round characterization. In this book, there is mainly one protagonist, with two minor protagonists and a handful of other side characters. Personally, I didn’t like the way they were characterized, as they seemed shallow and one faceted. The main character is meant to be kind and clever, but in too many situations, he seemingly cares more about the affection of a girl than of his own life, which may be in danger. As the book progresses, the readers are given the idea that the main character is becoming slightly paranoid and distrustful because of all of the fear, but none of his actions or thoughts really show that; the only proof we get is the occasional delusion, which would suggest the protagonist’s personality is shifting. All the while, his and his friends’ actions and dialogue seem too menial and unsuggestive. After all of the strange things that had been happening to them, it was too far into the story when they realized that none of it is a coincidence, as one of the friends replies, “A coincidence is you and me both picking pie for dessert…[this is] flat-out strange” (143). Roux makes the characters seem like they have no idea what is going on, having them quickly dismiss obvious information, such as, “It’s a common-enough last name...that’s just not possible,” when the readers have already accepted it and are just ready to get through all of the nonsense dialogue (142). There are many other instances of filler dialogue that contrast wildly with the terrifying mood Roux had set up a page or two earlier, which make the characters seem like they are less scared than the reader. Overall, I wish Roux would have applied more distinct contrast to the characters’ personalities over time, and given them multifaceted personalities to begin with. I wish she would have, in the dialogue, better reflected the same emotions the mood evokes, and would’ve given the non-scary scenes more purpose, like better characterization and more of how the fear is affecting their daily lives. While I recognize that I am looking at this from outside Roux’s targeted audience, I think she could’ve taken more liberty in complicating their personalities and giving the characters more purpose to the storyline, rather than having them just be friends who find clues and reveal the answer after the audience already figures it out.
The first strategy I learned from this book was how to present information effectively. Roux provided the perfect amount of information to make the reader think, while not allowing them to make definitive conclusions about the past of this asylum and how it intertwines with our protagonist. She sprinkles this information throughout the story, in juxtaposition to more dramatic parts of the story. It is concise and helps strengthen the plot, as it allows readers to delve deeper into the backstory of the asylum. Most importantly, in the end, if a reader were to review all the information given to them chronologically, it would all make sense. As a teenage reader, though, rather than the targeted preteen reader, some of the first information given to me revealed one of the larger plot points, so I’m not sure how other readers would process the information. Still, it was exciting that I had figured it out, and was propelled to read even further when new information was given to support my hypothesis. Overall, the mysterious story Roux creates is buttressed by context sneakily hidden through detail in the text, creating a more interesting and thought-provoking plot.
Another strategy I learned how to improve on was how to create a distinct mood. As this is meant to be a horror novel revolving around the setting of an old asylum, there are a lot of sections of the book that truly highlight the creepy mood and strong detail Roux uses. One such example is when the protagonist is wrapped up in the mystery of the asylum, and begins to grow paranoid and almost crazy. The following is a delusion he has which showcases the mood that Roux creates, “It looked like a cell of some sort, with floors and walls made of heavy gray stone. An operating table covered with a thin, white sheet stood in the middle of the room...But the most unnerving thing about the room was the pair of shackles…[with] dark red stains…far too wet to be rust” (44).I believe that this scene uses great detail and creates a mood that is terrifying, especially because the readers can’t discern from reality and delusion at the time. Creating a strong mood is important for bringing out emotion in your readers, and Roux does that very well with this and many other scenes. Of course, it is noteworthy to add that the novel also includes some photographs which depict what is detailed in the text, thus helping the audience visualize even further. Personally, I would’ve preferred Roux giving us even more detail to create this mood without the need of photographs, as it would require the audience to imagine the scene and resonate in our minds better. Overall, Roux chooses a strong setting and uses detail to create a mood that effectively evokes fear from her readers.
The final takeaway from this book revolves a round characterization. In this book, there is mainly one protagonist, with two minor protagonists and a handful of other side characters. Personally, I didn’t like the way they were characterized, as they seemed shallow and one faceted. The main character is meant to be kind and clever, but in too many situations, he seemingly cares more about the affection of a girl than of his own life, which may be in danger. As the book progresses, the readers are given the idea that the main character is becoming slightly paranoid and distrustful because of all of the fear, but none of his actions or thoughts really show that; the only proof we get is the occasional delusion, which would suggest the protagonist’s personality is shifting. All the while, his and his friends’ actions and dialogue seem too menial and unsuggestive. After all of the strange things that had been happening to them, it was too far into the story when they realized that none of it is a coincidence, as one of the friends replies, “A coincidence is you and me both picking pie for dessert…[this is] flat-out strange” (143). Roux makes the characters seem like they have no idea what is going on, having them quickly dismiss obvious information, such as, “It’s a common-enough last name...that’s just not possible,” when the readers have already accepted it and are just ready to get through all of the nonsense dialogue (142). There are many other instances of filler dialogue that contrast wildly with the terrifying mood Roux had set up a page or two earlier, which make the characters seem like they are less scared than the reader. Overall, I wish Roux would have applied more distinct contrast to the characters’ personalities over time, and given them multifaceted personalities to begin with. I wish she would have, in the dialogue, better reflected the same emotions the mood evokes, and would’ve given the non-scary scenes more purpose, like better characterization and more of how the fear is affecting their daily lives. While I recognize that I am looking at this from outside Roux’s targeted audience, I think she could’ve taken more liberty in complicating their personalities and giving the characters more purpose to the storyline, rather than having them just be friends who find clues and reveal the answer after the audience already figures it out.