The Asylum Paperback: Trailer
About the Book
Two young women, living centuries apart, both accused of madness, communicate across time to fight a common enemy...their doctors.
Emilie Autumn's underground gothic phenomenon is born again in this completely re-written paperback! With new characters, new chapters, new secrets, and new songs, the Asylum is growing, and is admitting readers all over the world.
~ 6 " x 9"
~ Velvety matte cover
~ 398 pages on cream paper
~ Contains illustrations
About the Story
"It was the dog who found me."
Such is the stark confession launching the harrowing scene that begins The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls as Emilie Autumn, a young musician on the verge of a bright career, attempts suicide by overdosing on the antipsychotics prescribed to treat her bipolar disorder. Upon being discovered, Emilie is revived and immediately incarcerated in a maximum-security psych ward, despite her protestations that she is not crazy, and can provide valid reasons for her actions if someone would only listen.
Treated as a criminal, heavily medicated, and stripped of all freedoms, Emilie is denied communication with the outside world, and falls prey to the unwelcome attentions of Dr. Sharp, head of the hospital's psychiatry department. As Dr. Sharp grows more predatory by the day, Emilie begins a secret diary to document her terrifying experience, and to maintain her sanity in this environment that could surely drive anyone mad. But when Emilie opens her notebook to find a desperate letter from a young woman imprisoned within an insane asylum in Victorian England, and bearing her own name and description, a portal to another world is blasted wide open.
As these letters from the past continue to appear, Emilie escapes further into this mysterious alternate reality where sisterhoods are formed, romance between female inmates blossoms, striped wallpaper writhes with ghosts, and highly intellectual rats speak the Queen's English.
But is it real? Or is Emilie truly as mad as she is constantly told she is?
The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls blurs harsh reality and magical historical fantasy whilst issuing a scathing critique of society's treatment of women and the mental health care industry's treatment of its patients, showing in the process that little has changed throughout the ages.
Welcome to the Asylum. Are you committed?
Praise for The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls
“Emilie Autumn goes to those dark places that haunt all of us and she is unashamed to do so. All of her characters are dealing with their own particular demon(s) and Autumn conveys each with exquisite storytelling. This book will make you question who is sane and who is insane...and the answer isn’t always what you expect.”
“The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is lots of fun, a kind of ‘women in prison’ movie with an (Oliver) Twist. It’s cleverly structured, bouncing effortlessly between the Victorian and modern eras, and comes complete with scary, perilous situations, vivid characters—plucky heroines, evil villains, and intelligent, talking rats—to an ultimately thoughtful, poignant ending. Put down your Dickens for a bit and give it a read.”
“This is a highly stylized adventure through a tale of a twisted mind or two told with heart and beautiful vocabulary. It is a true pleasure to be invited into her story.”
“I’ve read the original story, but there is enough new content in here for it to seem like a whole new story in some ways. It’s dark and harrowing, but also full of hope. Totally worth it. Buy it, brew a cup of tea, and lose yourself. You won’t regret it.”
“Dreamy prose of a nightmare situation as two women reflect across time about their mutual incarceration and mental illnesses.”
“At one point, I had to put it down and weep because someone had finally been able to put into words this feeling I had had for years but was never able to articulate.”
“Proof that no matter how far you go, or how much you endure, you can always find home. In the darkest of times there will always be someone to guide you, and you will always belong.”
“The main story is phenomenal and so incredibly unique with a very important message (maybe a few important messages), that captured my imagination in an indescribable way that only a few stories have managed. But even more than that, even more poignant to me than the story of Emily, was the story of Emilie; having Bipolar Disorder myself, parts of this book felt like she reached into my head and pulled my messy thoughts, and arranged them on paper to articulate them in a way I have rarely been able to do myself.”
“With each iteration of this book, it only gets more alive. Whether you are familiar with the hard-cover and audiobook versions or entirely new to the Asylum, this ebook has something very special in the form of clues, a treasure hunt, and embedded audio clips protected by puzzling passwords.”
“...this book is a gateway into a world of empowerment and understanding. The community she (Emilie Autumn) has built through her music and storytelling is one of overwhelming love and acceptance.”
“Stark, brutal, honest, but at the same time uplifting and inspirational. This isn’t merely a story, it’s an adventure...one you’ll be very happy you went on.”
also available in e-Book version
(e-Book includes the Treasure Hunt!)
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