A madness so discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Trigger Warnings: SA, SH, abuse, miscarriage, suicide, death, murder, medical procedures, trauma, gruesome\violent scenes.
Age Rating: 14+
Overall rating: 4 out of 5
Gernes: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense.
A spoiler free summary
A madness so discreet explores the themes of societal deemed insanity.
Grace Mae finds herself at Boston asylum. Her voice is locked away along with her family’s horrific secrets and her own which she carries around with her in a physical form. When Grace is sent to the shadowy cellars, a visiting doctor discovers her sharp mind and keen eyes. With the help of Dr Thornhallow, she escapes the asylum to a more ethical one. Now she helps Dr Thornhallow hunt down a murder using the new study of criminal psychology. Grace uses her insanity as a weapon while her own past horrors catches up and challenges her.
Review
I quite enjoyed the drastic changes of the book; the first half may have been settled but within the smallish time frame the author explored most aspects of the character’s life at the asylum. It is interesting to see Grace’s character development with the change of environment. The language is easy to understand yet is very intriguing and mostly quick paced. I was almost immediately immersed in the story. It’s delightful to see a book with no romance in it yet has so much depth. It shines a light on how mental health was treated in the 1800s and how the people deemed insane just ended up in an asylum. The characters are well written and pulls at the heart strings, the friendships really add so much to the storyline. Multiple surprises were revealed mostly in the second half. Overall, a great book and may read more of Mindy McGinnis’ books.
Quote
“The insane are simply people who have chosen not to participate in the world in the same manner as the majority.”
Recommendation
If you like unexpected stories with gruesome twists, I recommend. As I previously stated it is a quick paced book especially the second half. If the trigger warnings make you unsure, I would definitely do more research since the whole book touches on multiple sensitive topics.
Pros: I really loved the absence of romance in this book and the Friendships between Grace, Nell and Elizabeth as well as the dynamic between grace and the Thornhallow siblings. It also shines a small light on how mental health was treated in the 1800s and the history of asylums.
Cons: No diversity, if there was it was very little of it. But that might be due to the setting of the story and the absence of romance. Would have wished for a trigger warning, since it covers many sensitive topics.
Enna Mari 