The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

 

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...

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

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I don't really tend to read thrillers that have just come out. It's one of those genres where I just read second hand books that get passed onto me, or that I pick up in charity shops cheap. However, I started seeing The Silent Patient everywhere on instagram, and I was so intrigued by what made this story so exciting.

As soon as I started reading, I was invested in the story. It was intriguing, fast-paced, and had so many different areas of the plot that could be developed. I'd seen so many people who were shocked by the direction the plot took that I was hoping to be really surprised by the plot twist; sadly I did see it coming. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed following this story, and would really recommend it for thriller fans!

Rating: ✫✫✫✫

The Story

There are a lot of thrillers out there, and I've read a lot of them in my time; enough to know that it's very difficult to write an original story that can still allow the reader to feel both gripped and shocked. This was one that I really enjoyed, because it felt, in some ways, completely new to me. The patient who refuses to speak; the key to the crime. 

As with a lot of thrillers, this story had a dual perspective, breaking the structure up and keeping it rapid in plot progression. I enjoyed trying to keep up with the different stories, and trying to understand how they both intertwined.

Before I read the book, I'd seen a lot of people comment on how the plot twist really shocked them, as they just did not see it coming in the slightest. This was part of the appeal for me, as I very rarely find a story that absolutely shocks me. Unfortunately, I did see this plot twist coming. However, it was only in the few pages before the reveal that I saw it, so it was still a bit of a revelation for me! I think the way it was gradually teased out for the reader was really effective, even if it wasn't entirely shocking for me. I still felt the impact for the rest of the book.

From this reveal, it was a very quick sprint to the end of the book. I would have liked to have seen a little more explanation to bulk out the final chapters, so we could have really enjoyed the final scenes. However, I thought it was very neatly wrapped up, and an extremely satisfying read.

The Verdict

I was expecting big things from this book, as I'd seen so much hype surrounding it. At the same time, however, I was concerned that this would be like other thrillers I'd read; great to read at the time, but quite forgettable soon after.

However, a little while after finishing this book and I'm still looking back fondly. 

I enjoyed the premise for the story. It had a lot of classic thriller components, but also had the interesting twist of the silent Alicia. I was gripped from start to finish and devoured the story almost in one sitting. I'd really recommend this to thriller fiction fans, and promise it won't disappoint.