ASYLUM

Sir Ian McKellen's masterpiece of interpretive art so entrances that this reviewer could not stop listening until he had heard all eight hours and forty minutes. From the very first words, the beauty of his voice and delivery exerts a strange power, aided by the stunningly rich gothic text, reminiscent of the best Isak Dinesen tales. Sir Ian portrays a distinguished forensic psychiatrist seemingly telling of a curious case he witnessed. The beautiful wife of a colleague had run off with a patient, a spouse-slayer. His narrative seems to focus entirely on this woman's sexual obsession and its aftermath, but is he really as professionally detached as he sounds? With utterly brilliant understatement, Sir Ian prepares us from the beginning for the startling denouement, while simultaneously (and amazingly) keeping us totally in the dark about it. Further, while giving the impression that he's not doing anything special, he delivers all the shadowy beauty and psychological insight of a very fine novel. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 05]