Asana of Malevolence

It is interesting how Kate Abbot can set each scene with incredibly sharp imagery to create a somber mood which resonates from the beginning of the story to its end. This unusual mood and tone captured me as I flipped the pages of Asana of Malevolence, holding on to each character through this riveting journey. In Asana of Malevolence, several troubled individuals were offered an opportunity for peace in the form of a yoga retreat where they could reach a place of acceptance and closure, as they fought to cope with their own personal tragedies. Larry, the leader of the group, suffers from his own demons and uses his quite masterful brainwashing abilities to transform the serene retreat into a horrific nightmare. His character was carefully crafted showing his narcissistic behavior interwoven in the helplessness of a terribly wounded child. Ms. Abbot delineated the life of the individual characters by displaying the commitment each character had initially for the Garden and Larry, their desire for inner transformation, and the steps they ultimately decided to take in their quest for purity.