Painting Colors AAA: Book Review & Giveaway: Blue Asylum

Blue Asylum

By: Kathy Hepinstall

Published By: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: April 10, 2012

Page Count: 288

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher

Audience: Adult - Historical Fiction

The Civil War era has long been a fascination of mine. As a child, I can remember racing downstairs each Christmas morning to see which Civil War tome would be waiting under the tree for me. When other kids were spending their summer vacation swimming and frolicking at the beach, I could be found touring rice plantations in the South Carolina lowcountry. In college, I put my passion to good use and focused my senior thesis on women's experiences during the Civil War in western North Carolina. Needless to say, I am still a Civil War junkie, so this book was a must read for me. I was attracted to the time period, the setting, and the gorgeous cover. Blue Asylum is a must read for fans of Civil War history and women's history.

The main character, Iris Dunleavy, is sent to an insane asylum on Sanibel Island, an island located on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I am sure many people who wind up in asylums claim that they are not insane, but its obvious from the start that Iris is actually telling the truth about her mental state. Her confinement is the result of her defiance of her husband and his way of life. As a prominent slave owner in Virginia, he convinces a judge that Iris is insane and needs to be put away from her own good. I found it appalling that during this time period, men controlled their wives in such horrible ways. Iris sums up the view of women in this time period when she says, "I am a woman, Doctor. I do not have a voice" (pg. 92). I can't imagine what it would be like growing up in a time period when I would not be allowed to speak my mind and my husband would determine my fate. The commentary in Blue Asylum on the treatment of women and the mentally insane was hard to stomach at times. However, I feel like this is valuable read that paints an accurate portrait of the time.

During Iris' stay on Sanibel, she meets a whole host of intriguing characters including a woman with an swallowing compulsion, a man who thinks his feet are too heavy to move, a woman who sees her dead husband, and a man who believes that Sunday is a wolf. In addition to these memorable characters, she also encounters Dr. Cowell, Wendell, and Ambrose. Dr. Cowell is the famed doctor who seeks to take those who enter the island as lunatics to the point where they can return to their former lives healed and rational once more. His preteen son, Wendell, is struggling with growing up on the island away from others his own age. The relationship between Dr. Cowell and Wendell was a fascinating one. Lastly, Ambrose is a Confederate veteran of the Stonewall Brigade who can't seem to shake the horrible memories that war has etched into his mind.

Ambrose is an intriguing character who held my attention and heart from his first appearance. He is so broken. Throughout the novel, I kept comparing him to another literary Confederate veteran, Inman from Cold Mountain. Like Inman, the war has changed Ambrose in fearsome ways and stolen his happiness. However, both men find women who can see past their faults and haunted dreams to see their true nature.

Kathy Hepinstall's writing is the sort that paint vivid mental images. I was blown away by her gorgeous metaphors and use of language. I couldn't keep myself from frantically scribbling quotations into my readers notebook as I made my way through this story. I love the images she conjures with her words, "A light breeze came through, just enough to take the fragrance of the spring flowers and make it sweep through everything like a collective wish" (pg. 48).

At its core, Blue Asylum is a haunting love story and a quest for redemption. There were moments were I laughed and even more where I cried. This is truly historical fiction at its finest.

One Last Gripe: I wish I knew for certain what Iris' future holds

My Favorite Thing About This Book: Iris and Ambrose's relationship

First Sentence: When Iris dreamed of that morning, the taste of blood was gone, and so was the odor of gunsmoke, but her other senses stayed alive.

Favorite Character: Iris

Least Favorite Character: The Matron - ugh, evil hag

Summary:

Amid the mayhem of the Civil War, Virginia plantation wife Iris Dunleavy is put on trial and convicted of madness. It is the only reasonable explanation the court can see for her willful behavior, so she is sent away to Sanibel Asylum to be restored to a good, compliant woman. Iris knows, though, that her husband is the true criminal; she is no lunatic, only guilty of disagreeing with him on notions of justice, cruelty, and property.

On this remote Florida island, cut off by swamps and seas and military blockades, Iris meets a wonderful collection of residents--- some seemingly sane, some wrongly convinced they are crazy, some charmingly odd, some dangerously unstable. Which of these is Ambrose Weller, the war-haunted Confederate soldier whose memories terrorize him into wild fits that can only be calmed by the color blue, but whose gentleness and dark eyes beckon to Iris?

The institution calls itself modern, but Iris is skeptical of its methods, particularly the dreaded "water treatment." She must escape, but she has found new hope and love with Ambrose. Can she take him with her? If they make it out, will the war have left anything for them to make a life from, back home?

Blue Asylum is a vibrant, beautifully-imagined, absorbing story of the lines we all cross between sanity and madness. It is also the tale of a spirited woman, a wounded soldier, their impossible love, and the undeniable call of freedom.

About the Author:

Kathy Hepinstall is the author of three previous novels, The House of Gentle Men (a Los Angeles Times bestseller), The Absence of Nectar (a national bestseller), and The Prince of Lost Places. She is an award-winning creative director and advertising writer, whose clients have included top brands in American business. She grew up in Texas.

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