BOOK REVIEW: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Today’s book review is for The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, an adult psychological thriller novel about a woman who is convicted of killing her husband.

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Book Synopsis

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…. From Goodreads.

“The aim of therapy is not to correct the past, but the enable the patient to confront his own history, and to grieve over it.” – Alice Miller

The Basics

• Category: Psychological Thriller
• Tags: Thriller, Adult, Mystery, Suspense, Crime
• Author: Alex Michaelides
• Publisher: Celadon Books, February 2019
• Where to Find: Amazon, Walmart, Goodreads
• Overall Rating: ⭐⭐.75

**Spoilers Ahead**

From the description, I thought this book was going to be really interesting. Alicia is convicted of murdering her husband based on evidence found at the scene of the crime. She has said nothing on whether she did it or not, and hasn’t spoken a word in the seven years since it happened. Theo, a psychotherapist, makes it their goal to help Alicia find her voice – literally and figuratively.

“We’re all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”

So Let’s Get Into it…

The book is written from Theo’s perspective and has passages from Alicia’s diary in between. The main problem I had with this book is that it’s just so slow. The main storyline is Theo trying to get Alicia to talk, but her lack of written dialogue causes the story to drag. I just wanted to know what really happened.

In the beginning when police found Alicia, she had cuts on her wrists like she attempted suicide. Her husband was found tied to a chair and with a bullet wound to the head. Alicia refused to speak to the police, investigators, or her family. Immediately after the night of the murder, Alicia began working on a painting. She finished the painting, and was then sentenced and institutionalized at a psychiatric hospital. We found out early on that it is a self-portrait, along with “Alcestis”. I immediately looked up who that is, and she is a princess in Greek mythology known for her love of her husband. Alcestis offers her life to save her husband and is then rescued from Hades by Hercules. After her rescue, Alcestis never speaks again.

“In many ways my fate was already decided – like in a Greek tragedy.”

Theo has always been curious about Alicia’s case, so when a job opens at the psychiatric hospital he applies and is hired. No one has been able to get her to talk in years, and Alicia has repeatedly tried to take her life in the hospital. Theo is determined to get through to her.

Theo’s determination to get Alicia to talk leads him to interview her friends and family. With the information gathered, he is able to piece together the time leading up to the murder. Theo gains Alicia’s trust during this time, and she gives him her diary to read.

Simultaneously, we are learning about Theo’s home life. He is deeply in love with his wife, but discovers that she is having an affair. We witness his downward spiral and declining mental health. His need to find out more about the affair becomes an obsession.

“Love that doesn’t include honesty doesn’t deserve to be called love”

Through Theo speaking with Alicia’s friends and family and the additional information found in her diary, we begin to see a different story…but is it true? Is Alicia really the victim? Or is she a cold and calculated murderer?

This story includes twists, turns, and an ending that I didn’t see coming, but overall I found the story boring and slow at times.

“I saw it now. I would never be safe. Never be loved. All my hopes, dashed – all my dreams shattered – leaving nothing, nothing. My father was right – I didn’t deserve to live. I was – nothing.”

So… Bookmark or Bin it?

Conclusion: Bin it

The ending is the only redeemable part of the story in my eyes. I didn’t see the twist coming and the book was over. The pacing of this book is very slow. Since Alicia has no written dialogue, the book is mostly one-sided conversations. Theo’s need to become Alicia’s doctor and help her speak again is never fully fleshed out. I have a lot of unanswered questions about Theo and Alicia’s motivations.

Fun Extra Tidbit

The Silent Patient was Alex Michaelides’ first novel, and it debuted at #1 on the New York Times best seller list. The book has been optioned for a film by Plan B. His second book, The Maidens, has a slight crossover with The Silent Patient, but they are both considered stand alone novels.

Thanks so much for reading my book review for The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides! Now it’s your turn! Have you read this novel or any others by Alex and if so, what are your thoughts? Please feel free to share in the comments below!

Happy reading 😊