The Asylum by John Harwood

I thoroughly enjoyed this Victorian Gothic mystery. It had everything a period gothic mystery should have; an asylum, a young woman in the wrong place, doctors who don’t believe her, and a mystery. 

The thing that intrigued me about this story in the first place is the promise the story provides with its description. 

A young woman wakes in an asylum with no memory of how she got there, and everyone calling her by a name that is not her own. She is Georgina Ferras.

On insisting that she is not who they think she is, they write to her uncle in London, but the reply is swift, stating that Miss Georgina Ferras is in London and the person in the asylum is an imposter. 

So, how can she have all the memories of being Georgina and no one believe it? The way such a narrative would unfold did not disappoint me. 

Reviews, however, have been mixed, with some loving it and some finding it confusing, but I absolutely enjoyed this book wholeheartedly and read is very quickly. 

I found the character of the Doctor interesting, and his mixture of good and bad qualities made him real.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Georgina’s lapses into her memories as a young girl and also the series of letters. 

Overall, an interesting and entertaining read that I would probably read again.