Asylum by Patrick McGrath
I recently finished reading Asylum by British author Patrick McGrath. I didn't like it, not one little bit. The problem is that I cannot read books set in psychiatric facilities because I see everything that is wrong with the story. In this story, the asylum is in Britian and it's the late 1950's. All the psychology is Freudian psychoanalysm which has since died away. But I write this blog to keep up with writing and why the writing is the problem.
McGrath can write. He uses words beautifully. This story however seemed dusty and distant. I think he wanted it to. The problem was that the voyeuristic tone he set for it didn't work for me. I've read other stories told from a narrator that had to piece the story together. These are always unreliable narrators when telling the story of another character. The Virgin Suicides was written in this style. It worked better to me. I think because the narrator of that story is an adult remembering from childhood. This made that story's unreliable narrator more realistic.
Back to McGrath. The story did little for me. I finished it and set the book on the floor. I looked at my wife and said "what was the point?"
I hate a book I finish and have to ask the question why? or what was the point? I like to feel like I gained something from a book when I finish, and this one left me hollow.
Like Palahnuik in a previous blog, I probably won't ready anymore McGrath. His dusty closed in style of writing was a little to crusty British and boring for me.
