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Title: Astonished: A Hawthorn Asylum Novel
Author: Kelsey Gietl
ISBN (Paperback): 979-8-9856744-7-7
ISBN (eBook): 979-8-9856744-8-4
ISBN (Audiobook): TBD
LOC Control Number: 2026911487
Publisher: Purple Mask Publishing
Date of Publication: July 24, 2026
Number of Pages: 327
About the Book
How fine the line between inspired and insane…
1914 – Avila Kohlfeld has spent most of her life in the shadow of Hawthorn Asylum. As the superintendent’s daughter, she grew up outside the institution’s inner workings, yet never quite apart from them. Then one night, a reckless visit to its walls claims the life of her sister—or does it? Avila doesn’t know what to make of the altered girl who is restored to their family. Is Callie truly inspired by God from her experience or is she as insane as the patients at the asylum? As whispers and speculation circulate, the community questions the superintendent’s suitability for his position. With her entire family’s future in jeopardy, Avila works on a desperate plan to prove that Hawthorn Asylum is caring for its patients, body and soul.
Abandoned by his parents due to his inability to read or write, Matthias Ward was diagnosed as “backward” and given a job where he can’t cause any harm—asylum mortician. He resolves to treat each body with the same dignity as he would if they were living. When the superintendent’s daughter ends up in his mortuary, the resulting whirlwind tosses his basement-dwelling days upside down. Avila encourages him to consider a different path, despite her own tenuous future. Is it possible that God has more for him outside of Hawthorn’s walls?
In a place where many enter but few leave, could the halls of Hawthorn Asylum still hold room for another miracle?
Inspired by the incredible near-death experience of St. Christina the Astonishing, Astonished is a story of second chances and authentically Catholic Christian faith.
Reader Praise for Astonished
“At the point of the big reveal, I was very invested. From that point on, I was hooked and could have just set everything else aside to keep reading. Very well played.”
“Matthias was my favorite—he may be my favorite MMC you’ve written.”
“The book flows great. I like how you begin each chapter with a medical dictionary term. It really adds to the book’s character.”
“The twists, turns, and surprises made it so fun. This is definitely not a predictable story, and I stayed up really late, racing through to see how this was all going to play out.”
“I have to tell you that you are my new favorite author. The intricacy and intrigue of your plots, the depth and application of your historical research, and your style of writing and extensive vocabulary rise above any other fiction writer I have read. The crowning glory of your work, in my view, is your faithful presentation of the Catholic faith as you weave its teaching and practice seamlessly into your stories.”
~ Kathleen Alford, author, Little Bird Publications
