Nan Corbitt Allen Reviews

Added September 26, 2005

Asylum

Author: Nan Corbitt Allen
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: January 2004
Genre: Fiction: Christian/Suspense
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $11.99
ISBN: 0-80241117-7
Reviewer: Phillip Tomasso III

Nan Corbitt Allen's Asylum was an emotional novel from start to end, an enjoyable, fast read. Maybe it is fast because once I started, I found it hard to set the book down. When I did set it down, I thought about the characters until I had more time to pick up where I'd left off.

Ian Lane is ten. Unfortunately, he is the parent-person in his house. His mother and father are, pretty much, worthless alcoholics. Everything fell on Ian-meals, laundry, you name it. He was responsible for doing it.

At the start of the book, however, life for Ian changes drastically. A fire consumes his home, trapping and killing his parents. Escaping without harm, Ian is sent to live with his Aunt Jo. She feels blessed to have him in her care. It seems like now, though the loss of his parents is tragic, he can live a more normal life.

Nothing is ever that simple. When an insurance agent shows up at Jo's house, it looks like there are still loose ends that need tying off. Ian cannot remember much about the night of the fire. He fears he may have some how been responsible-had he left the stove on after cooking dinner for the family? Sneaking out the back door, and onto a non-descript van, Ian thinks it will be better for everyone if he just starts over new, somewhere else.

Hungry, Ian manages to find his way into a church kitchen. Surrounded by food, and an unused loft, he quickly adjusts to and accepts his new home. From a bird's eye view he then watches the lives of the church pastor and staff unfold before him (or below him-as it were).

What Ian does not know is that a desperate search is underway. His Aunt Jo has rallied the troops, working with the police and on her own, determined to find her lost nephew. But not everyone looking for Ian wants to him safely returned to his aunt. Time is running out for Ian as everyone gets closer and closer to his asylum-and Ian doesn't even know how close he is to salvation, or how close he is to being murdered...

Nan Corbitt Allen writes concise chapters, builds quality characters and manages to weave a web of anxiety and suspense that all ties together nicely at the end. Intriguing and compelling, Asylum is a book with a little bit of something in it for anyone who enjoys reading.

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