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Asylum Road

Asylum Road

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  • Create Date：2021-04-17 09:51:20
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Olivia Sudjic
  • ISBN：1526617390
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Summary

The taut， knife-sharp， compulsive second novel by the critically-acclaimed author Olivia Sudjic， for fans of FIRST LOVE， DAYS OF ABANDONMENT and HOT MILK

A couple drive from London to coastal Provence。 Anya is preoccupied with what she feels is a relationship on the verge; unequal， precarious。 Luke， reserved， stoic， gives away nothing。 As the sun sets one evening， he proposes， and they return to London engaged。

But planning a wedding does little to settle Anya’s unease。 As a child， she escaped from Sarajevo， and the idea of security is as alien now as it was then。 When social convention forces Anya to return， she begins to change。 The past she sought to contain for as long as she can remember resurfaces， and the hot summer builds to a startling climax。

Lean， sly and unsettling， Asylum Road is about the many borders governing our lives: between men and women， assimilation and otherness， nations， families， order and chaos。

What happens， and who do we become， when they break down？

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Reviews

Gina ，

Tense with anxiety derived from past traumas。 The lack of a clear timeline in the telling of Anya's story served to underscore her desperation。 A dense read。 Tense with anxiety derived from past traumas。 The lack of a clear timeline in the telling of Anya's story served to underscore her desperation。 A dense read。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

（2。5） Whether at a shared flat in London， staying with her fiancé Luke’s parents in Cornwall， or back in Bosnia for a rare visit to her family， Anya stands at a remove from her experiences。 As she is stripped of everything she values – losing her luggage， quitting her PhD program， and finding that her relationship with Luke isn’t as stable as she assumed – her grasp on reality starts to weaken。 It took a very long time for me to figure out what this novel was about and where it was going。 Anya i （2。5） Whether at a shared flat in London， staying with her fiancé Luke’s parents in Cornwall， or back in Bosnia for a rare visit to her family， Anya stands at a remove from her experiences。 As she is stripped of everything she values – losing her luggage， quitting her PhD program， and finding that her relationship with Luke isn’t as stable as she assumed – her grasp on reality starts to weaken。 It took a very long time for me to figure out what this novel was about and where it was going。 Anya is one of today’s endless stream of disaffected young female protagonists who make a mess of their lives。 Her flat voice and iconoclastic attitude are reasonably appealing， but the lack of speech marks is more confusing than anything else， and any early similarity I noted to Deborah Levy and Ottessa Moshfegh only works to Sudjic’s disadvantage。 I’ve added on a half-star （or maybe more like a star and a half） for a fantastic ending that goes all Muriel Spark and makes something of that dreadful cover。 I suppose the title alludes to the places that promise refuge but ultimately deny it， but in terms of plot， theme and characters other than Anya， this mostly fails to hold together。 The novel is supposed to be relevant and hot-button – Brexit！ green technology！ – but felt like a jumble of half-considered ideas。（Note: there’s a dreadful typo on the top of page 213 in the Bloomsbury hardback: a “chicken coup” instead of a coop！） 。。。more

Jaclyn ，

Not sure why I’m surprised by how much I loved this; I adored Sudjic’s millennial wonder Sympathy a few years ago。 This is definitely more confident and intricate and I love seeing a writer develop and stretch those muscles。 It’s a book about borders， relationships and identity。 It’s a book and Brexit and the Balkans。 It’s a book about a woman on the brink。 What makes it even more remarkable is the writing – dark， lyrical， cynical。 The tone evokes dread and melancholia at every turn。 If that’s y Not sure why I’m surprised by how much I loved this; I adored Sudjic’s millennial wonder Sympathy a few years ago。 This is definitely more confident and intricate and I love seeing a writer develop and stretch those muscles。 It’s a book about borders， relationships and identity。 It’s a book and Brexit and the Balkans。 It’s a book about a woman on the brink。 What makes it even more remarkable is the writing – dark， lyrical， cynical。 The tone evokes dread and melancholia at every turn。 If that’s your vibe， and it’s definitely mine， then you will love this。 。。。more

Erin Rouleau ，

I feel schooled， but not lectured。 Her writing is very much becoming a favorite， but this subject matter felt driven by something far more personal than shared history and therefore I definitely learned more than I have at other times when hearing about their war （or rather its after effects）。

Claudia George ，

I enjoyed the concept of this book and was excited to read about Anja's journey， background and struggles to incorporate her culture with her London lifestyle。 However， I felt like the plot was underdeveloped， and having finished it I would struggle to explicitly define any singular narrative， or any defining characteristics of the novel and its characters。 I enjoyed the concept of this book and was excited to read about Anja's journey， background and struggles to incorporate her culture with her London lifestyle。 However， I felt like the plot was underdeveloped， and having finished it I would struggle to explicitly define any singular narrative， or any defining characteristics of the novel and its characters。 。。。more

Gem Elizabeth Elizabeth ，

A three-act tragedy meets a masterly plotted thriller in this propulsive story about the search for normality， a couple’s uneasy journey to commitment， and how the ghosts of the past wreak havoc on both。Haunted and haunting…brilliant brilliant book！

Lauren Bunting ，

After a slightly slower first half， I was absorbed into the brutal flashbacks， under-the-surface emotions and sadness of this book， and found the ending very hard to sit with。 The distant and fragmented writing reminded me of Rachel Cusk and I loved it。 Probably need to read this about five more times to get under the skin of all the brilliant metaphors， but definitely need a long， long break from Luke's character as he。 was。 urgh。 After a slightly slower first half， I was absorbed into the brutal flashbacks， under-the-surface emotions and sadness of this book， and found the ending very hard to sit with。 The distant and fragmented writing reminded me of Rachel Cusk and I loved it。 Probably need to read this about five more times to get under the skin of all the brilliant metaphors， but definitely need a long， long break from Luke's character as he。 was。 urgh。 。。。more

Claire ，

Amazing book。 So chilling and unsettling all the way through。

Evie Lake ，

Struggling to expand on why I loved this so much- I can fully understand why people didn’t。 Felt really connected to Anya and the distance she keeps us from the other characters。 Everything is presented to the reader through a （sort of） frosted glass & it made me want to protect her in return。

Lisa ，

Loved this so much。 Felt like I was there in every scene。 Could not recommend more。

Nathália ，

Wow。。。 this was literally a wild ride。

Fiona ，

This is unsettling， almost uncanny， as it rips off the veneer of civilisation to look at the darkness beneath。 How much of us is animal？ Can we accept otherness or are we simply pulled to exclude， overpower or destroy it？ In tense， spare prose Sudjic explores the aftermath of trauma and how we make sense of destruction both politically and personally。 She makes links between Brexit and the disintegration of the Balkans， showing how the primitive forces of separation and nationalism can divide pe This is unsettling， almost uncanny， as it rips off the veneer of civilisation to look at the darkness beneath。 How much of us is animal？ Can we accept otherness or are we simply pulled to exclude， overpower or destroy it？ In tense， spare prose Sudjic explores the aftermath of trauma and how we make sense of destruction both politically and personally。 She makes links between Brexit and the disintegration of the Balkans， showing how the primitive forces of separation and nationalism can divide people into smaller and smaller groups。 She also looks at how sexual desire can express our draw towards the macabre or destructive， as it seems that the main character's fiancé is attracted to her traumatic past yet unable to cope with the reality of the damage in the present。 Not an easy read but highly recommended。 。。。more

Isobel Radakovic ，

I have to admit， as much as I was intrigued by the premise of Asylum Road， I did also partially request a galley of this because of Sudjic's surname sounding Eastern-European and us having that in common！ I feel like I definitely don't see enough Balkans getting published， or at least not with any huge publicity， so I wanted to support by reading。 It was interesting to read from Anya's perspective， especially in how unsure she was in every aspect of her life。 This was particularly shown in relat I have to admit， as much as I was intrigued by the premise of Asylum Road， I did also partially request a galley of this because of Sudjic's surname sounding Eastern-European and us having that in common！ I feel like I definitely don't see enough Balkans getting published， or at least not with any huge publicity， so I wanted to support by reading。 It was interesting to read from Anya's perspective， especially in how unsure she was in every aspect of her life。 This was particularly shown in relation to her relationship with Luke and how dependent she is on him。 It did feel like being pulled along， bearing witness to her life without any assertiveness from her。 However， her passivity didn't annoy me like I thought it might， because her thoughts and feelings were portrayed so realistically。 I obviously enjoyed the portion set in Croatia， because it was nice to recognise names of places。 I also really liked the ending and its ambiguity - it felt very fitting with Anya's characterisation and the novel as a whole。 。。。more

Andy Weston ，

There are three distinct sections to this novel， narrated by Anya， who escaped Sarajevo during the war as a child， and was sent to live with relatives in Glasgow， but now her long-suppressed memories are resurfacing。After her somewhat unlikely engagement to Luke， they don't communicate well， or even seem to like each other much， the first two parts of the three are visits to their respective parents， Luke's in Cornwall， and Anya's in Split。 Its not a spoiler to write of the content of the third There are three distinct sections to this novel， narrated by Anya， who escaped Sarajevo during the war as a child， and was sent to live with relatives in Glasgow， but now her long-suppressed memories are resurfacing。After her somewhat unlikely engagement to Luke， they don't communicate well， or even seem to like each other much， the first two parts of the three are visits to their respective parents， Luke's in Cornwall， and Anya's in Split。 Its not a spoiler to write of the content of the third section， the clue is in that second city。。 Its a slow burner of a novel about the effect of the expectations of society on well-being， but history plays a key role， and the trauma of the war。 Its one of those books that you feel guilty about being entertained by， as the subject matter is generally pretty dark。 。。。more

Eric Anderson ，

I enjoy it when I'm wrong-footed as to what a novel is really about until I get into the heart of its story。 “Asylum Road” is very cleverly structured in how it carefully reveals information in different sections as it carries you through the emotional journey of its protagonist Anya， a 20-something PhD student。 The novel's opening line is “Sometimes it felt like the murders kept us together。” But rather than describing a couple who commit murders it goes on to detail their journey from London t I enjoy it when I'm wrong-footed as to what a novel is really about until I get into the heart of its story。 “Asylum Road” is very cleverly structured in how it carefully reveals information in different sections as it carries you through the emotional journey of its protagonist Anya， a 20-something PhD student。 The novel's opening line is “Sometimes it felt like the murders kept us together。” But rather than describing a couple who commit murders it goes on to detail their journey from London to France while listening to true crime dramas along the way。 Anya is tense thinking her ecologically-minded boyfriend Luke might break up with her on this trip but it turns out he proposes to her with a diamond ring。 It feels like this will become a typical modern-day story of the highs and lows of romance yet the ominous tone of that opening line remains and is carried through the story as we gradually learn that Anya was a survivor of the Seige of Sarajevo which occurred when she was a girl。 But this isn't a historical account of the Bosnian War。 Instead it shows the day to day experience of someone living with a deep trauma that other people are incapable of understanding。 Read my full review of Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic on LonesomeReader 。。。more

Danielle ，

3。5

Bethany Gill ，

Exactly the kind of narrative I enjoy。 It feels like it’s told through the protagonists jumbled thoughts instead of being told as a story。 Fantastically written。 An interesting story about relationships， family， friendship and motherhood。 Great read。

H ，

It’s quite uncomfortable to read something that touches so close to your own family history。 I think it was well written but it was also quite disturbing。

Jonathan Pool ，

Themes •tCultural dislocation， especially when a person is forced to depart the country of their birth。•tOutsiders’ perception of the Balkans region of EuropeIt is notable that the two prologue quotes are taken from Maria Todorova and Ivo Andrić （Yugoslavian who won the Nobel Prize for Literature ion 1961）。 The complications of Balkanism; of stereotypying， are clearly very much in Sudjic’s thoughtsSynopsis Anya and her boyfriend/fiance Luke are in their early thirties。 Instant random attraction Themes •tCultural dislocation， especially when a person is forced to depart the country of their birth。•tOutsiders’ perception of the Balkans region of EuropeIt is notable that the two prologue quotes are taken from Maria Todorova and Ivo Andrić （Yugoslavian who won the Nobel Prize for Literature ion 1961）。 The complications of Balkanism; of stereotypying， are clearly very much in Sudjic’s thoughtsSynopsis Anya and her boyfriend/fiance Luke are in their early thirties。 Instant random attraction， followed by domestic insularity and the expected marriage of the couple clearly marks out cracks in the relationship from the very start。 The intense pressure of nuptial preparations projects Anya backwards in time as her many unreconciled family and personal issues are highlighted。The book is divided into three distinct parts。 Cornwall （around Mousehole） where Luke’s [parents live; Croatia/Bosnia/Serbia， Anya’s parental home; and London （Peckham- the Asylum Road commune） where the couple live， work and study （Anya for a PhD）Highlights •tMira （Anya’s late brother， Drago’s fiancé） :“Fornasetti woman”。 I would read a novel centered on Mira 。•tAnya’s father At the table he pulled the same trick he pulled on every first time guest Luke is presented with plate of resin spaghetti （161）。 How this resonated with me- and the potential for embarrassment is much greater than the party games which guests are apparently faced with at the British royal family’s Balmoral Estate （according to the Crown series 3）Sudjic inserts a number of very clever， and original fact based associations in the text。Some favourites of mine:•tIn Cornwall Porthcurno attaches England to the rest of the world。 （an amazing history of transatlantic cables）•tIn Cambridge。 "Welcome to Cambridge Home of Anglia Ruskin University"。Greater Anglia provide a number of advertising opportunities！！！！•tIn Glasgow。 Robert Burns is quoted （as part of Anya;’s studies） Thy wee-bit housie， too， in ruin！ This ties in nicely with a sometime tame mouse running around in the house）•tIn London。 On a walk to the Thames Embankment near Parliament。 A walk to the Embankment。 ”the eels in the Thames were full of hormones and cocaine。 I saw a roiling orgy of ells beneath the surface”（203）。 It’s a stretch， but could well be true。•tIn Bosnia Edna O’Brien book- the butcher of Bosnia （ The Little Red Chairs ）。 This ties in to the recurring theme of murders （an original bond between Luke and Anya on radio podcasts）There's a lot going on in Sudjic’s prose， and its fun to spot the connections and join up the dots。While I enjoyed each of the three sections in the novel I think there are almost three distinct， separate， stories battling for primacy。 Luke’s parents Ann and Michael （long time anti-vaxxers） are nicely set to develop as representative of an inward looking， insular England。 The book was written during the drawn out national antagonism surrounding the “Brexit vote”。 Then the Cornish exclusion stops dead。 The backdrop to the inner London Asylum Road is also set up well， but I could have gladly done with more。 It’s a book where the sum of the individual parts is excellent， but it suffers slightly as a whole。Lowlights •tAnya describes her fifth anniversary of being together with Luke as a “Cishet relationship”。 Really？ Surely this is unnecessary。 Literary context Anya’s sense of self and confidence is undermined by being with Luke。 It’s not fists or shouts， but there’s a disequilibrium that reflects badly on Luke。 Two novels which deal well with the subject of incompatibilities are Gwendoline Riley’s First Love and Louise Doughty’s Platform Seven 。 Asylum Road isn’t as overtly in the territory of “gaslighting”， but it’s an uncomfortable relationship for the reader looking on。References to literature and literature figures include Sybille Bedford and Jenny Holzer （Lustmord the ‘cleansing’ during the Bosnian War）。 Shining a spotlight on obscure （but fascinating） feminist icons is very Ali Smith。Questions Christopher。 A friend of Anya’s from Cambridge University keeps appearing as an absent muse- a voices off inspiration， a voice that keeps her grounded。 It may be just be a good， non-explicit， writing technique to contrast the unseen Christopher with the unlovable Luke… but I was wanting Christopher to burst on to the scene and at least give us male readers some relief that some men are considerate and empathetic！Pregnancy。 Yes， no; meaning？Author background & ReviewsSudjic has written two previous books。 Sympathy（2017） explores surveillance and identity in the internet age andh revolves around a twenty-something woman visiting New York who becomes obsessed with an older woman via the social media app Instagram。 Exposure，（2018） is an essay on the anxiety epidemic， autofiction and internet feminism。I watched Sudjic’s book launch on Instagram （28/1/21）， in conversation with Lucia Osborne-Crowley。 For a book with some dark themes， the chat was refreshingly light hearted and focused mainly on the structure of Sudjic’s writing style•tAnya as an anti-heroine。 Would not want to spend longer than this book in her company。 Is she an unreliable narrator？ Anya has her own paranoia。 She loses her grasp of affairs。 Sudjic mentioned Gwendoline Riley’s book- why doesn’t the narrator leave？ Hence the assertiveness at the end of Asylum Road is pleasing。•tLimbo。 The Ivo Andric epigraph applies to Anya。 Not at home in Sarajevo; not at home in her boyfriend’s flat。 •tLots of puns in the book （eg Mousehole）•tSudjic did almost drive off a cliff•tSpeaking about a book almost hinders it。 Drawn into making grand statements。 Much more subtlety in the written word。 Spoken word is less ambiguous。•tWriting style。 Seems to write about characters who lose their grip。 Sudjic needs to go into a ‘worm-hole’ in order to write such characters。Recommend I thought this was great read。 A disparate selection of ideas come together for what will be an amazing book to discuss with friends。 。。。more

Coco ，

Had a visceral reaction

Shankar Singh ，

Asylum Road starts with our first person narrator， Anya， 31， taking a road trip to France with her boyfriend Luke。 But when Luke offers her a diamond ring there， she finds their relationship advancing to the next level。 Next， they head to Cornwall to visit Luke’s parents-a pair of ardent Cornish nationalist- Anya realises she need to introduce Luke to her family and her grim past。 Their subsequent visits to Sarajevo resurfaces Anya’s long repressed trauma and she begins to unravel gradually。It i Asylum Road starts with our first person narrator， Anya， 31， taking a road trip to France with her boyfriend Luke。 But when Luke offers her a diamond ring there， she finds their relationship advancing to the next level。 Next， they head to Cornwall to visit Luke’s parents-a pair of ardent Cornish nationalist- Anya realises she need to introduce Luke to her family and her grim past。 Their subsequent visits to Sarajevo resurfaces Anya’s long repressed trauma and she begins to unravel gradually。It is a reinvention of the road through the limitless horizon in which a trauma scarred woman forever trapped。 This book begins and ends behind the wheels。 It intersects many themes love， trauma， identity and history。 It explores otherness in its many forms such as borders， sexuality， families etc。It was quite an unsettling and rather deeper than it may seem on the surface。 Although some prose were really fascinating， some seemed rather fragmented and scattered。 I found it challenging to keep up with constantly shifting timelines and stratified narrative。 I finished it almost in one sitting which was quite nerve wrecking and emotionally draining experience。 It is not a light read but definitely worth your time。 。。。more

Sue ，

Asylum Road is a book with hidden depths， much like its main character Anya， belied by the pointed starkness of the language Olivia Sudjic uses to tell this story of identity and home。The beginning of the book finds Anya and her boyfriend Luke driving from London to France to take a holiday， where he unexpectedly asks her to marry him， despite the precarious state of their relationship。 Instead of cementing their future together， the process of planning their wedding causes Anya's carefully cons Asylum Road is a book with hidden depths， much like its main character Anya， belied by the pointed starkness of the language Olivia Sudjic uses to tell this story of identity and home。The beginning of the book finds Anya and her boyfriend Luke driving from London to France to take a holiday， where he unexpectedly asks her to marry him， despite the precarious state of their relationship。 Instead of cementing their future together， the process of planning their wedding causes Anya's carefully constructed reality to fracture， with shocking consequences， especially when Luke insists that they travel to Sarajevo to visit her parents - the very place from which she escaped the battleground of the Balkan Wars as a child， and has no wish to return to。The story is told through the eyes of Anya herself， and right from the outset we can feel her wariness about the nature of her relationship with the boorish Luke。 She is constantly second guessing his every look， word， and even silence， to try to work out exactly how she should feel and act to be the woman she thinks he wants her to be。 The uncomfortable atmosphere between them is palpable， and every moment she is sure Luke is about to end their relationship， but then he actually asks her to marry him， which gives us a pretty big clue to the fact that Luke really does not know anything about the woman he has become engaged to - until it becomes clear that he is more in love with the idea of Anya， rather than the woman herself。As the story progresses in a series of staccato scenes that expose the trigger points that lead to the unravelling of Anya， we come to learn that her idea of security has been so warped by her experiences that she can never feel safe anywhere or with anyone。 Although she has tried so hard to create an identity which forms a protective shell for herself， and has tried to distance herself from her childhood as much as she can， in essence she is still that little girl sheltering from snipers and bombs in the basement of her family's beleaguered apartment building in war-torn Sarajevo。Olivia Sudjic manages to convey so much emotion in the powerfully uncomfortable scenes in this book， that they will stay with me for quite some time。 This is especially true of the excruciating visit to Sarajevo， where Anya introduces Luke to her broken family and things start to really come apart at the seams， and later when Anya finds herself clutching ever more desperately at something or someone to anchor herself to。There are some really interesting threads that come up in the telling of this tale。 I was intrigued by the way Olivia Sudjic conjures up the notion that Anya's experience somehow mirrors that of her homeland - both fractured， disconnected from their past， struggling with their identity and trying to convey an image that shows little of what still lies beneath the surface。 She also tosses out a fascinating line about the issues surrounding immigration and those branded as outsiders with the views of Luke's parents， and rather cleverly， the characters from other nations that Anya meets later in the story。This is an incredible book， with one of the most nuanced titles I have read for a long time - raw and bleak， but beautifully atmospheric and with the kind of ending that will have you going back and rereading the last chapter more than once just to be certain you have read it right。 It's one that is both discomfiting and will elicit discomfort， which might not seem to make much sense， but believe me， it will once you have read it - and read it you really should。 。。。more

Tilly Fitzgerald ，

This is quite a difficult story to try and describe， and I find myself torn between loving the brutality of it and feeling misery at the bleakness。 This is definitely not an uplifting story， and perhaps a grey day like today wasn’t the best time to read it！Whilst a lot of the novel focuses on our narrator Anya’s relationship with Luke， the overwhelming feeling whilst reading this is of her confused sense of identity - having escaped Sarajevo as a young girl she has very little contact with her f This is quite a difficult story to try and describe， and I find myself torn between loving the brutality of it and feeling misery at the bleakness。 This is definitely not an uplifting story， and perhaps a grey day like today wasn’t the best time to read it！Whilst a lot of the novel focuses on our narrator Anya’s relationship with Luke， the overwhelming feeling whilst reading this is of her confused sense of identity - having escaped Sarajevo as a young girl she has very little contact with her family there， but also seems to live her life with Luke under the oppression of her upbringing and feelings towards her family。 It seems only inevitable that this will eventually tear them apart。。。With a strong focus on both physical and self-imposed borders， on the history of Sarajevo， on loss， tragedy and trying to find your place in the world， this is a hard hitting and fairly heavy novel， although the writing itself is very accessible and easy to read。 Raw， unsettling and very dark， with an ending I had to read twice to be certain of， this is one for literary fiction fans who enjoy stories where as much is left unsaid as said， and you must make the connections for yourselves。 Make sure you’re in the right frame of mind for it， as could be quite an emotionally draining read with so little hope offered。 However you feel about it， it can’t be denied that Sudjic is an incredible writer bound to leave you reeling。 。。。more

Elizabeth Currie ，

I was interested to read this book having seen it mentioned as a book to look out for in 2021， but didn't know a great deal about it and therefore went in relatively blind。 It is a short novel about a young woman， Anya， who left Sarajevo as a child and is now living in London with her fiance。 Based around a series of journeys it explores anxiety， the impact of trauma and the search for security。The book does jump around both in time and place and at times that make it challenging to keep up with I was interested to read this book having seen it mentioned as a book to look out for in 2021， but didn't know a great deal about it and therefore went in relatively blind。 It is a short novel about a young woman， Anya， who left Sarajevo as a child and is now living in London with her fiance。 Based around a series of journeys it explores anxiety， the impact of trauma and the search for security。The book does jump around both in time and place and at times that make it challenging to keep up with and for me meant I didn't always feel as engaged as I might have。 Told primarily in the first person， there was also a sudden shift to third person which I found a little strange。 Sudjic's taut prose is impressive and certainly builds tension， leaving the reader on edge and mirroring Anya's sense of uncertainty。 Ultimately I was left with the feeling that it was an impressive book， but one that I admired rather than truly enjoyed。Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Melissa ，

"It struck me then why it is that the English phrase - to drive home - means to make someone understand。"Anya was a child refugee from besieged Sarajevo and is now a 31 year-old Londoner drifting through her PHD。 On a weekend away in the south of France with her moody boyfriend， he proposes to her， and it doesn’t feel quite right but they go through the motions: visiting his conservative parents in Cornwall， then hers in Bosnia – both fraught in their own ways。 This is a claustrophobic， grey， ti "It struck me then why it is that the English phrase - to drive home - means to make someone understand。"Anya was a child refugee from besieged Sarajevo and is now a 31 year-old Londoner drifting through her PHD。 On a weekend away in the south of France with her moody boyfriend， he proposes to her， and it doesn’t feel quite right but they go through the motions: visiting his conservative parents in Cornwall， then hers in Bosnia – both fraught in their own ways。 This is a claustrophobic， grey， tightly-wound， very well-written literary novel， full of insight as it explores xenophobia in Britain and otherness in one’s own relationship。 It's definitely a Brexit novel without being ham-fisted about it， but Sudjic also seems very interested in what it means to have survived the Bosnian war。 I thought often of the WWI term 'Balkan powder keg' while reading this， and its ending。。。 definitely drove that home。 。。。more

Sadhbh O'Sullivan ，

There was enough that I enjoyed in this （the depictions of Cornwall， Serbia and Cambridge in particular） that it would be insincere to give it a lower rating。 But it really hammered home how much I can’t stand the lack of quotation marks in a lot of modern fiction。 If it is to serve some purpose I’m clearly to stupid to get it and it just makes reading books like these that weave several voices and past and present within dialogue a real chore。 That said I knew nothing about the siege of Sarajev There was enough that I enjoyed in this （the depictions of Cornwall， Serbia and Cambridge in particular） that it would be insincere to give it a lower rating。 But it really hammered home how much I can’t stand the lack of quotation marks in a lot of modern fiction。 If it is to serve some purpose I’m clearly to stupid to get it and it just makes reading books like these that weave several voices and past and present within dialogue a real chore。 That said I knew nothing about the siege of Sarajevo and found this an enlightening window into it。 It was also interesting to read my first post Brexit novel。 。。。more

LLDW ，

Recommended by The Economist， January 9， 2021 issue:https://www。economist。com/books-and-a。。。 Recommended by The Economist， January 9， 2021 issue:https://www。economist。com/books-and-a。。。 。。。more

Violet ，

To be honest， if Olivia Sudjic decided to publish a collection of her grocery lists， I would probably buy it， read it and rave about it。 'Asylum Road' is a weird little novel about Anja/Anya， who lives in London and has barely gone back to Split， her hometown in Bosnia， since leaving when she was a child。 She has left behind her parents and travels back with her fiance after overhearing his parents commenting on the fact it was strange he had never met them。 There is a lot in there about belongi To be honest， if Olivia Sudjic decided to publish a collection of her grocery lists， I would probably buy it， read it and rave about it。 'Asylum Road' is a weird little novel about Anja/Anya， who lives in London and has barely gone back to Split， her hometown in Bosnia， since leaving when she was a child。 She has left behind her parents and travels back with her fiance after overhearing his parents commenting on the fact it was strange he had never met them。 There is a lot in there about belonging - not being quite from here， but no longer having a tangible connection there either -， being in between， It is easy to feel Anya's pain and feeling of not fitting in; you feel her discomfort with her。， and the trauma of the war。 There are gaps between Anya and everyone around her - her boyfriend who does not see her slow mental breakdown， the well-meaning friend who somehow cannot reach her， Mira who wants to move to London and is full of determination and optimism; her sister and her resentment。 Olivia Sudjic inserted different themes woven into the story - Brexit， Donald Trump， climate change - which is something I see more and more in recent novels but still somehow takes me by surprise， like a brutal return to reality; but she does it very subtly。 I was not convinced entirely by the various changes of times， the flashbacks that did not insert themselves neatly into a timeline。 I understand why it was done this way but it felt。。。 too scattered at times。It is still a beautiful， dark little gem， and I enjoyed reading it - despite how anxious it made me feel！Free ARC from Netgalley。 。。。more

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer ，

Published today 28-1-21I came to this book due to its citation in many previews of the best literary fiction to be published in 2021 - and having read it I can fully understand its inclusion。 The past keeps intruding。 We are sick to death of it。 I find I am now welcome in my own home。 My own country。 Again and again this happens。 I seem to be the common denominator。 This realisation is， at first， the end of a cigarette in the dark， then a train sucking me toward it as passes through my station Published today 28-1-21I came to this book due to its citation in many previews of the best literary fiction to be published in 2021 - and having read it I can fully understand its inclusion。 The past keeps intruding。 We are sick to death of it。 I find I am now welcome in my own home。 My own country。 Again and again this happens。 I seem to be the common denominator。 This realisation is， at first， the end of a cigarette in the dark， then a train sucking me toward it as passes through my station。 This is Sudjic’s second novel – one she started work on in 2015， drawing on her own inheritance。 She has also written a non-fiction long essay which explores among others the work （and their experiences of the reaction to their work） of Rachal Cusk， Elena Ferrante and Jenny Offil and there are overlaps with the work of all three authors。Anya the （mainly） first person narrator is living in London in her early 30s in the flat of her boyfriend Luke – son of a comfortable Cornish based family。 She met Luke in 2012 at a wedding。 Anya is studying for an art history PhD （alongside transcription， essay farming and private tutoring）， Luke works in the City。Anya grew up in Sarajevo but when young was evacuated with her older sister to an Aunt in Glasgow – her parents refusing to leave Bosnia， a gap grew up between them which became harder to bridge， particularly after the suicide of her brother （a middle child）。The book is based around a series of road trips。First Luke and Anya driving down France – Anya believing they may split up， but with Luke proposing to her。 Marriage for Anya is both something of wary fascination。 Luke and I owed out first meeting to the wedding of our only mutual friends and since then I’d paid attention to ring fingers， to the self-confidence of these women， like expensive cats that had all been microchipped。 My ringless finger marked we as a stray among them。 Then a train journey to Luke’s possessive and Brexit-voting parents in the Cornish port of Mousehole （which also features as the title of the first section）。 Luke’s Mum “was the kind of mother who refused to knock。 A fan of borders but not boundaries。”Overhearing Luke’s parents bafflement （presumably originating from Luke） at Anya’s refusal to discuss her parents or family – Anya reluctantly agrees to a trip to see her own parents。 The arrival at Split airport gives the second section its title and is perhaps a little too obvious a metaphor for the disintegration of Anya and Luke’s relationship that follows an extremely awkward and tense meeting with Anya’s family （after travel via Croatia and Montenegro） – her practical joker father， her mother suffering from Alzheimer’s and convinced they are still under active siege， her resentful sister。 It’s a journey which confronts Anya with her past and Luke with the reality of her background and behaviour It struck me then why it is that the English phrase – to drive home – means to make someone understand。 The last section has Anya – uncertain of whether she has succesfully terminated a pregnancy， apart from Luke， living in a “commune” on the real life London Asylum Road （the title of the third section） – in which dealing with her asylum in the modern sense she also seeks asylum in the more historical sense （which gave the road its name） – care for mental anguish。 She lives there with her late brother’s ex-girlfriend – now an editor of Balkan non-fiction （which allows additional exploration of the book’s meta-themes as well as adding a Cusk-ian link and a Ferrante-esque interaction）。 In this section the writing of the novel breaks down deliberately: vivid memories of the past that she is trying to process （a bizarre trip with her cousin in Scotland to hunt deer） appear in the present tense; and a trip back to a college reunion in Cambridge – one she seems to take more on the advice of others and which leads to a sexual encounter with her college boyfriend – is rendered in the third person reflecting some form of distancing and self observation。Certain images recur: a dread of tunnels; a phobia of soft fruit; a reluctance to learn drive; a maddening ability to lose important items; a fear of desertion and of unexplained absence; invading and out of place animals sharing human spaces （moles， jellyfish， wild boar， mice）; thawing and decay; crusts and vomit; the habitual removal of chin hair; sleeplessness and turned bodies; repeating dreams – all of which seem to have their base in past experiences and hidden traumas。One small point of correction （unless it is a deliberate mistake）。 At one stage Luke and Anya discuss the latin phrase “Noli me tangere” （a phrase which recurs in the novel as a brushing off and an instruction to stop clinging on to the past） as spoken by Jesus to Mary when she tries to hold on to him after his death。 However they get the wrong Mary – it was Magdalene not Mary Mother of Jesus （so that any links to Anya or Luke’s maternal relations are misleading）。But the really recurring imagery of the book is journeys – particularly road trips。 This is a book about the repeating cycles of the past and about a desire to escape them and find some kind of exit route either into some form of happy ever after ending （such as marriage） or via a more foreceful tangential fleeing （which gives the book its striking ending and final road trip）。 It is perhaps no surprise to see that the author’s second non-fiction is to be about Desire Lines – and how women navigate the world by unplanned paths。Finally although a book about the Balkan experiences it acts as a commentary on Brexit also: sometimes perhaps too crudely （a passenger that sits opposite Anya on the train ride to Cornwall is like a collection of stereotypes）; sometimes funnily （the quote about Luke’s mother）; and sometimes at a meta level。 In particular with this quote in which publishers are exasperated at a refusal to move on from the war in literature （which of course could never happen in England）。 It’s only …。。 a shame， that’s all。 To be still stuck talking about this [the Balkan war]。 Even some of the publishing people I know say we should move on， stop making art about it， they say we’re in paralysis， which is true， politically， economically， everything …… But it seems impossible not to talk about [the war] when these people， these revisionists， still exist Overall a book with surprising depth – not all of which I think I have uncovered – for example what are the origins of her relationship with Christopher （her best friend， advisor， confidant and refuge）。My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more

Verity Halliday ，

Asylum Road is a short， fragmentary literary novel about Anya， who fled to the UK from the Balkan War as a child， and her distant fiancé Luke。 Throughout the novel， Anya deals with her anxiety and sense of dislocation as well as her relationship with a rather cold and irritable man。 Anya and Luke take several trips together， visiting his Brexit-voting Cornish parents and her family in Sarajevo。 Anya loses her important notebook for her art history PhD and her phone on an aeroplane and is torment Asylum Road is a short， fragmentary literary novel about Anya， who fled to the UK from the Balkan War as a child， and her distant fiancé Luke。 Throughout the novel， Anya deals with her anxiety and sense of dislocation as well as her relationship with a rather cold and irritable man。 Anya and Luke take several trips together， visiting his Brexit-voting Cornish parents and her family in Sarajevo。 Anya loses her important notebook for her art history PhD and her phone on an aeroplane and is tormented by the loss they represent。The novel explores themes of anxiety， belonging to a family and a nation， and journeying together and alone。 I related to Anya， with her nervous habit of checking for chin hairs and her worrying。 I disliked Luke and just wanted him to show some empathy for Anya。Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Asylum Road

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Asylum Road&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Asylum Road&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0