Bella Suartini

The Silent Patient

Book by Alex Michaelides

DETAILS

Publisher : Celadon Books; Reprint edition (May 4, 2021) Language : English Paperback : 368 pages ISBN-10 : 125030170X ISBN-13 : 978-1250301703 Item Weight : 3.53 ounces Dimensions : 5.3 x 0.95 x 8.25 inches Best Sellers Rank: #91 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in Psychological Fiction (Books) #10 in Psychological Thrillers (Books) #26 in Suspense Thrillers , **THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "An unforgettable―and Hollywood-bound―new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." ― Entertainment Weekly The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband―and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive. 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.... Read more

REVIEW

The Silent Patient is a great example of a psychological thriller. Theo is a psychotherapist who has a professional interest in a woman who murdered her husband. Since her arrest she has not uttered a word, not even in her own defense. The last form of communication that Alicia voiced was a painting she created depicting the crime scene. Since then, the brilliant artist has been completely uncommunicative. Theo takes a position at the mental institution that Alicia is housed at, and begins to see her fit therapy in the hopes of getting her to open up. Unraveling the truth will reveal not only the mind of the murderer, but the mind of the therapist as well. As the plot moves along, it feels very much like we are on a path to a destination. I'll be honest, and say the plot twist took me cometrly by surprise. But when I read it, I tjogh, "I should have seen that!" The only exception I take with the otherwise stellar writing is the diary. The exerpts of Alicia's diary read like a novel, complete with settings, storylines, and dialog. No one writes in a journal like that. It takes away from the suspension of disbelief and just looks like the author showing off, when actually, it's way off the mark of reality. (I choose to read those portions like just a different perspective, and not a journal.) Otherwise, writer, Alex Michaelides, does a splendid job. The book is worth ignoring the one flaw.

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