The Darlings of the Asylum set in Brighton – Noel O’Reilly

Submitted: 18th October 2023

The Darlings of the Asylum- Brighton – Noel O’Reilly

To marry is madness. To escape is impossible.

Women really were sent to asylums for the mentally unstable and for any reason their family or husband thought appropriate. It was so easy to get someone committed for any reason you could think of.

A novel about the women in these places and the fight of one who gets locked up in one? Yes please!

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The Darlings of the Asylum set in Brighton - Noel O'Reilly

Boarding Pass Information

Destination : Brighton

Author guide: Noel O’Reilly

Genre: historical fiction

Food and drink to accompany: nothing it’s ratioed in the asylum

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A novel to transport you straight into an asylum

I was intrigued by the title and when I found out who the darlings were and why they were called that, my heart went out to them.

Anyway I digress. This is a fine novel that delves into the daily routines and torture of an asylum. Even if this one is fictional, you get the idea of what women of that time could have faced. Violet Pring is one such woman. She gets sent to the asylum for wanting to be an artist and for rejecting a marriage suitor. Her family send her – her mother is involved – and that for me seemed worse than just the husband. I had realised husbands usually sent their wives or female relatives to these places but I didn’t realise the parents would be involved somehow.

There’s a lot of the book which is set in the asylum and it’s dark to read this. However, before Violet gets there, she’s seen as a vibrant and modern woman and I enjoyed getting to know her. Her art is seen as subversive and challenging for the society of the time. What right does a woman have to want to be free like this to express herself? Why does she not want a man, and a rich one at that?

There’s plenty of social commentary, letters and conversations that show you just what things must have been like at that time. I liked fellow artist, Wilf Lilley, who praises Violet’s style of painting. At last, an ally of sorts! Maybe Violet would be understood. However, I was soon disabused of that notion.

The Darlings of the Asylum set in Brighton - Noel O'Reilly

BookTrail the locations in The Darlings of the Asylum

Once in the asylum, we meet Dr. Harold Rastrick, who appears to have been resurrected in real life many years later as a member of the Nazi party working in eugenics. The experiments he carries out are more than inhumane. I couldn’t believe anyone would even think of these things let alone carry them out. People with any kind of ‘disorder’ or ‘condition’ are deemed to be unfit for the human race.

All of this was good and very compelling but the language, the prose seemed to be too ‘light’ for the subject matter. The writing was very good, flowed well and was enjoyable to read – but the friendly prose and the almost comedy moments with Violet and her thoughts and the balls and marriage talk seemed a bit out of place. Even when we get to the asylum, the feel of the novel stayed ‘ safe’ and a dark spot but one in an almost regency themed novel.

I’d still recommend though. Fascinating subject matter.