Cover Image: Escaping The Asylum

Escaping The Asylum

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Member Reviews

This book was not lacking in action. The plot was well thought out and I would recommend this most of my friends.

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*First and foremost, allow me to apologize for the delay in my review. I so appreciate the opportunity to read Escaping The Asylum before its publication; it was not my intention to seemingly "bail" on writing a review.

When my personal life went off the rails, immersing myself in this story kept my mind delightfully distracted and occupied. Escaping The Asylum gets a solid 3 stars from me. In Goodreads speak, a 3 translates to "liked it." Having an innate, lifelong interest in the field of Psychology, Escaping The Asylum was a much enjoyed piece because of its unique patient perspective. The author's style of storytelling is such that I will seek more works from Siggy Galaen. I am always searching for new authors to enjoy, and I think I have struck gold with this one.

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

The title caught my interest. While the book wasn't exactly what I thought it'd read, it was still an interesting read. It's a short story, which definitely made it easy to get through. It's a fictional story of the patient's point of view navigating the "asylum" and the attempts to escape the cycle.

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I am not sure how to accurately describe this book. It is definitely different than what I thought it would be. The writing style is a bit difficult (for me anyway). I didn't care for the constant use of the word "asylum", but that's just me.

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Escaping the Asylum is a good short novella, that takes a bit to get used to the writing. Stick with the writing, the story is interesting.

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A great book, I enjoyed the diary style story and it was interesting to see the personal view of a patient. It had me engaged throughout.
Thank you

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The book does, what it says on the tin (or blurb).
This is an insider's perspective of an "Asylum", a mental health facility.
The author asks us, not to give too much of the plot away, so let me just say that without ever finding out much about our main character and narrator (not even his name), he (or she?) explains what it's like to be treated and have your treatment always extended, to work on group tasks which often have no purpose and to see the doctors and "Money Men", without really being involved with them.
The unique perspective (though fictional) keeps you reading, despite the writing being a little disjointed at times (be it on purpose or due to translation).

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Well written, interesting, well developed storyline.
Not the best book I've read this year but quite interesting and different in a good way.

ARC received through NetGalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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A short story featuring a patient in a mental health facility, we go with the patient and hear his thoughts and impressions as he relates to everything going on around him. A very interesting take on a patient who comes to realize and believe that there is More to life than the activities he is expected to take part in. He starts to keep his thoughts and impressions in a notebook that no one sees, as he longs for time in nature, quiet, even different food than the carbohydrate filled,sweetened choices offered.
Some parts of the book are hard to read, seeming to jump around, but overall a great story of a mental patient who sees things an a different way after years in asylums, just going along.
I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story, and offer my honest thoughts and feelings in this review.

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Escaping the Asylum is a short novella telling the story of a man’s experience in a psychiatric hospital. I’m not going to lie - it was not my cup of tea at all. It was different to what I expected - not bad - just not to my taste.

I found it very confusing and disorientating at the beginning, and because of how short the book is, by the time I’d figured everything out it was the end.

Overall, not to my taste but that doesn’t mean everyone will feel the same way!

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Fascinating concept and definitely the type of genre that interests me but this didn't end up being what I was hoping/expecting. Not for me unfortunately.

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I give "Escaping the Asylum" 4.5 stars!
I admit that the first half is fairly boring, and the writing is not polished - it sounds like a journal entry rather than a polished book. I even debated quitting. The descriptions of the asylum seem nothing like the asylums I've heard about. But I'm glad I stuck with it! This short but powerful book is definitely worth reading until the end!
Now that I've finished it, I want to read it again. I want to pick up on some of the nuances I missed before but would understand now. In fact, I can't stop thinking about this book. It's an important book for everyone who feels trapped in the mundane and the grind of daily life. Thank you for writing it Siggy Galaen!

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
At first, I wasn't quite sure I would really like this book. I was a bit confused. But once I got used to the way the author tells the story, I was hooked. This book should appeal to anyone who is curious about the perspective if a patient in an Asylum.

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As a way to get structure into their life (and perhaps other reasons), this person voluntarily enters an Asylum. However, it has been for a few years and at a few different Asylums. The main focus at these places seems to be a Joint Assignment. Yes, to socialize and to work both independently and as a group are important skills to have. However, if you become aware that this Joint Project is not doing well... Actually, it may just get trashed.

The person in this book has thought about their current reality and took a step back. This, to THINK about what is happening and root out solutions to concerns that are within their power. Surely consuming more fatty, salty calories than one would burn off in a week, eaten daily, can't be healthy. But it does taste good! TV movies and personal gaming devices are fun, but...

A look into a hypothetical person's years at an Asylum. Sharing both the good and not so good aspects. This story is a mind-bending look into a reality that isn't all that obscure.

Interesting read by Siggy Galaen - a totally different look into Asylum "culture". Especially provocative for those in the field and students of psychology.

Many Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an abstract look into an important field.

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I found this short fictional story to be a compelling look at how life within a psychiatric institution would be perceived from the patient’s perspective throughout the journey from admission to discharge. I’ve spent some of my career in healthcare working on the opposite side, as a healthcare professional within similar systems, not as a psychiatrist though, and found this to be a very unique and creative way to experience the process.
There were some areas in the story that were a bit confusing to the reader. This maybe because I’ve worked within these facilities and know the terminology and way many work so I was trying to superimpose my own experience onto this story although I don’t think they are even in the same medical systems.
I found many of the insights to be spot on. Especially in the final few pages. Fantastic conclusions. This may have been my favorite part. I do think when dealing with mental health issues we can perceive them too simplistically and assume that the patient’s should have more control over their own outcome by taking on their own healing. Unfortunately, I think, from my experience, truly mentally ill patients often lack the judgment and insight to even begin to do the things this patient did towards healing. So, I agree with the premise that institutionalization isn’t the one-size-fits-all solution, it also shouldn’t be discarded for all patients. Some truly need this level of care. Incorporating many of the healing ideas the patient in this story came up with would still be useful and many facilities do this.
Overall, a worthwhile and interesting read for anyone who has an interest in mental health.

#EscapingTheAsylum #NetGalley #BooksGoSocial

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