The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Published by Celadon Books on February 2019Genres: Adult Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
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Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
The less you know the better.
Theo is Alicia’s doctor, trying to coax her out of her shell after one night six years ago, she shoots her beloved husband in the face. And has been silent ever since.
I had heard about this book from another reader and after reading the synopsis, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The high reviews also made this hard to miss. So when I finally got my hands on a library copy, I started it right away. (Sorry book club!)
Filled with twists and turns and surprises, The Silent Patient is what every good thriller should be. The clues are in the silences. I loved reading about Theo’s downward spiral as he tries to help Alicia, and Alicia’s rise back into our everyday world. Not everyone is as they seem and that makes it for a delicious and sinister book, where evil is lurking just below the surface.
Why is Alicia silent? And what can Theo do to coax her to eventually telling her secrets?
I want to talk about the character’s arcs and their growth, but honestly, I don’t want to give too much away. I will say this – Theo and Alicia are two very strong and well imagined characters whose journeys are presented one way but eventually, settle into something else.
I have to admit, I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed this book a lot and even I couldn’t guess exactly how it was going to end.
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
