Review of Secrets of Edenfield

[marta baglioni]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Secrets of Edenfield" by Loni Hoots.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Secrets of Edenfield is a dramatic fiction book by Toni Hoots. The story takes place in Edenfield, now a dismissed mental institution. Terrible things happened to the patients behind closed doors. The question is: would you dare to peek?

The structure of the book it's quite complex. It starts as a coral novel, in which each chapter is told, as if it were an independent short story, from the point of view of numerous patients at the Edenfield Institute. I enjoyed the way every character introduced the following narrator at the end of the chapter. The first part is set in the early sixties when Edenfield was still operational. Then, there is an abrupt interruption and a time jump 40 years into the future. In this second part take place the inquiry and the trial about the atrocities committed in the asylum. This was my favourite bit of the book. Probably it was determined by the nature of the first part, but I think the second one was more coherent and maintained a better flow, overall.

I enjoyed the characters, especially the patients. I appreciated the variety the author provided in this regard: everyone had a completely different reason for which they were hospitalized; e.g., Charlee was a homosexual girl, and the Tupper Twins were just born different. Are these sufficient reasons to be locked up permanently and subjected to torture? Edenfield's executives undoubtedly thought so.

I detected some flaws in this book. The first thing that comes to mind is the opening lines: it's not an error, but I found them to not be gripping enough. Moreover, I could spot way too many repetitive sentences, and the editing definitely could be improved.

I liked the topic of this novel, and I genuinely appreciated how the book was developed: it's clear it was well thought out. Unfortunately, the number of errors I encountered prevents me from giving it a perfect score, according to the Guidelines. I would suggest going through another round of editing since the material is quite good. At the time being, my rating for this novel is 3 out of 4 stars. There are some other features mentioned above that I didn't like very much, but I don't think they would justify the deduction of another star.

I recommend this book to those interested in the history of psychiatric hospitals. At the same time, though, I have to add a trigger warning for those readers who are particularly sensitive to domestic violence and abuse issues.

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Secrets of Edenfield
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[Paully_]

Books containing domestic violence irritates me to no end. I will pass on this one. Nice review by the way.

[Jelly_J]

This review piqued my interest in knowing what happened to those patients behind closed doors. but I might have to pass because it contains sensitive topics like abuse. Your review was well detailed and interesting.

[Prisallen]

I saw this book when it was up for review and considered reading it. However, I thought the abuse issues would bother me too much. Your review does make it sound intriguing, though. Thanks for a wonderful review!

[Diana Lowery]

This book sounds too distressing for me. Also, I have no idea what a coral novel is, but it sounds confusing.

[Amy Luman]

I enjoy a novel where the characters get to tell their own story. Even though there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for some patients to be incarcerated surely there is something. Like the previous poster, I’m curious as to the definition of a coral novel.

[MsH2k]

This sounds like a book full of interesting and sad stories. Hopefully, it will go through another round of editing to make the reading experience better. Thank you for your take!

[Sopulu Ezidimma]

I don't think I would like to read this book because I feel distressed reading the review. Great review.

[Nwaka Chukwuemeka]

I'm so captivated by this review. I initially don't understand the message the cover page is trying to pass but through your review, I have understood a little of the book.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

A fiction related to creepy happenings behind the locked doors in a mental health asylum! Sounds interesting. Thank you for the well balanced review.

[Shadreck Rogers]

The fact that the structure of this novel is complex appeals to me. I am always up for a challenge. I also like how unique the plot of the book sounds.

[marta baglioni]

Books containing domestic violence irritates me to no end. I will pass on this one. Nice review by the way.

It's understandable. Thank you for stopping by!

[marta baglioni]

This review piqued my interest in knowing what happened to those patients behind closed doors. but I might have to pass because it contains sensitive topics like abuse. Your review was well detailed and interesting.

Thank you for commenting!

[marta baglioni]

I saw this book when it was up for review and considered reading it. However, I thought the abuse issues would bother me too much. Your review does make it sound intriguing, though. Thanks for a wonderful review!

Thank you for commenting!

[marta baglioni]

This sounds like a book full of interesting and sad stories. Hopefully, it will go through another round of editing to make the reading experience better. Thank you for your take!

I hope it, too. Thanks for stopping by!