Review of Asylum
Posted: 02 Dec 2021, 20:13
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Asylum" by Susy Smith.]
After the most devastating stock market crash in history, numerous terrified U.S. citizens began looting and destroying property. Consequently, the president declared martial law and began rounding up people and forcing them into labor camps to try to improve the economy. Texas and California seceded from the union. Thomas Monroe, the senator of Texas, owned a farm in Oklahoma, on the Texas border. Oklahoma retained no jurisdiction over that property because it was in a Texas land trust. However, Thomas needed someone to stay on the farm to keep the property in the family. His brother (who did not get along with Thomas) and his family lived close by, but they decided to move to California, except for nineteen-year-old Lacy. She agreed to stay at the farm until her uncle arrived.
While living on the property alone, Lacy was raped and threatened with death if she didn’t abandon the farm. Subsequently, she was no longer the young, trusting girl she was before her assault. After temporarily going back to her parent’s home, Lacy ran into a former boyfriend, Travis. His parents had been shot trying to cross the border into Texas. She offered to let him stay at the farm in exchange for his protection. Several other people on the run were also offered asylum. When Jace, Lacy’s brother’s lifelong friend, showed up, she found it difficult to be around him because of her new fear of men. However, Jace has secretly loved her for a long time and will not give up easily. Will this little band of people be able to survive in spite of frequent visits from the military police (who seem intent on making their lives miserable), winter approaching, and the possibility that someone amongst them is trying to sabotage their efforts?
Asylum by Susy Smith is a 320-page book listed in the romance genre, but it has lots of action and intrigue as well. Early on, the tale jumps straight into the suspense with the chilling account of Lacy’s rape. From there, the intriguing story continues with romantic twists as well as thrilling action, making it difficult to put down. The novel is narrated from the third-person point of view, mostly from Lacy and Jace’s perspectives. Some of the questions are resolved by the end of the book but not all are. Therefore, I think there is likely a sequel in the works.
The characters are superbly developed. Lacy’s loss of innocence and the almost incapacitating fear she currently faces are easily sensed by the reader. Her stubbornness and temper are also on display. Her sympathy towards others, in spite of her own struggles, makes her someone to admire. Travis and Jace’s feelings for Lacy and their antagonism towards each other are also easy to recognize. They are both brave, protective, and hardworking; both are believable and likable.
The author’s writing was descriptive and usually easy to follow. However, I had to reread a few paragraphs to figure out who the subject was. This usually followed a section dealing with two women or two men. Then, the following paragraph would start with “he” or “she,” without the name of the character. Subsequently, the reader must figure out which of the two preceding characters it is by the context. The name at the beginning of the paragraph would take care of the problem. I only noted this a few times early on in the book, so it was a minor issue and not worth the removal of a star.
Because I found nothing else to dislike, Asylum achieves a rating of four out of four stars. I believe readers who appreciate apocalyptic stories with romance would thoroughly enjoy this novel. Sensitive people need to be aware that profanities and violence are encountered in the book. Additionally, the rape scene might be triggering for anyone who has personally suffered from this terrible assault.
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Asylum
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
After the most devastating stock market crash in history, numerous terrified U.S. citizens began looting and destroying property. Consequently, the president declared martial law and began rounding up people and forcing them into labor camps to try to improve the economy. Texas and California seceded from the union. Thomas Monroe, the senator of Texas, owned a farm in Oklahoma, on the Texas border. Oklahoma retained no jurisdiction over that property because it was in a Texas land trust. However, Thomas needed someone to stay on the farm to keep the property in the family. His brother (who did not get along with Thomas) and his family lived close by, but they decided to move to California, except for nineteen-year-old Lacy. She agreed to stay at the farm until her uncle arrived.
While living on the property alone, Lacy was raped and threatened with death if she didn’t abandon the farm. Subsequently, she was no longer the young, trusting girl she was before her assault. After temporarily going back to her parent’s home, Lacy ran into a former boyfriend, Travis. His parents had been shot trying to cross the border into Texas. She offered to let him stay at the farm in exchange for his protection. Several other people on the run were also offered asylum. When Jace, Lacy’s brother’s lifelong friend, showed up, she found it difficult to be around him because of her new fear of men. However, Jace has secretly loved her for a long time and will not give up easily. Will this little band of people be able to survive in spite of frequent visits from the military police (who seem intent on making their lives miserable), winter approaching, and the possibility that someone amongst them is trying to sabotage their efforts?
Asylum by Susy Smith is a 320-page book listed in the romance genre, but it has lots of action and intrigue as well. Early on, the tale jumps straight into the suspense with the chilling account of Lacy’s rape. From there, the intriguing story continues with romantic twists as well as thrilling action, making it difficult to put down. The novel is narrated from the third-person point of view, mostly from Lacy and Jace’s perspectives. Some of the questions are resolved by the end of the book but not all are. Therefore, I think there is likely a sequel in the works.
The characters are superbly developed. Lacy’s loss of innocence and the almost incapacitating fear she currently faces are easily sensed by the reader. Her stubbornness and temper are also on display. Her sympathy towards others, in spite of her own struggles, makes her someone to admire. Travis and Jace’s feelings for Lacy and their antagonism towards each other are also easy to recognize. They are both brave, protective, and hardworking; both are believable and likable.
The author’s writing was descriptive and usually easy to follow. However, I had to reread a few paragraphs to figure out who the subject was. This usually followed a section dealing with two women or two men. Then, the following paragraph would start with “he” or “she,” without the name of the character. Subsequently, the reader must figure out which of the two preceding characters it is by the context. The name at the beginning of the paragraph would take care of the problem. I only noted this a few times early on in the book, so it was a minor issue and not worth the removal of a star.
Because I found nothing else to dislike, Asylum achieves a rating of four out of four stars. I believe readers who appreciate apocalyptic stories with romance would thoroughly enjoy this novel. Sensitive people need to be aware that profanities and violence are encountered in the book. Additionally, the rape scene might be triggering for anyone who has personally suffered from this terrible assault.
******
Asylum
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
