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BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Silent Patient
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. She is a famous painter and her husband, Gabriel, an in-demand fashion photographer. Until one evening, when Gabriel returns home late from work and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.
#1 New York Times bestseller
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Community Reviews
I didn’t really enjoy the book. It was drawn out and a bit boring, however it did pick up towards the end. I liked the plot twist wished it was sooner within the book and played out more.
LOVE LOVE LOVE! Completely unexpected. I felt like I came for the main storyline and got invested in a tangent as well. Get invested in the little details because it all comes together in a way you would never predict. Honestly sad I will never get to read it for the first time again!
Wow what a book, for Alex Michaelides first novel he killed it (Pun intended) Please read this book it does not disappoint.
I was hooked from the start. If mysteries are your thing, I recommend this one because you'll fall in deep with it and race to the end to uncover the truth.
Our main protagonist is Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who is fascinated by an infamous painter who killed her husband and never spoke again: Alicia. She is our secondary protagonist and we get her POV through her diary. She hasn't spoken in several years by the time Theo is hired to work at the mental hospital where she's confined.
Theo and Alicia are intriguing people at the core of a juicy investigation and the tension is hardwired in, and not just by the primary mystery. Alex Michaelides has a background in psychology and he incorporates a lot of concepts from that field throughout the story. It's one of my favorite aspects of this book because it brings a really enthralling character-driven element to an already riveting plot.
Like Alicia, Theo comes from an abusive childhood and his pattern for handling things in his personal life as an adult makes him a "silent patient" in his own way. I began to question if his personal issues would affect his professional life with Alicia. There were also moments where patient-doctor boundaries were being crossed and that was uncomfortable to sit with during certain scenes.
The suspense in this story is masterful and the characters are interesting. I enjoyed it all until I got to the last few chapters. The ending felt a bit rushed and clunky to me. Although there had been some vague hints that it would go the way that it did, it still felt kind of sudden, unearned, and clumsy with how it was executed. Obviously I won't say exactly what it was, but there was a device used for a particular reveal that I felt was cheap (the device, not the reveal). So that was annoying and kind of ruined the delicious build-up of an otherwise excellent mystery/thriller.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and if Goodreads allowed half stars, I'd have given it 3.5/5.
**
TW: child abuse/neglect; stalking; murder; infidelity.
Our main protagonist is Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who is fascinated by an infamous painter who killed her husband and never spoke again: Alicia. She is our secondary protagonist and we get her POV through her diary. She hasn't spoken in several years by the time Theo is hired to work at the mental hospital where she's confined.
Theo and Alicia are intriguing people at the core of a juicy investigation and the tension is hardwired in, and not just by the primary mystery. Alex Michaelides has a background in psychology and he incorporates a lot of concepts from that field throughout the story. It's one of my favorite aspects of this book because it brings a really enthralling character-driven element to an already riveting plot.
Like Alicia, Theo comes from an abusive childhood and his pattern for handling things in his personal life as an adult makes him a "silent patient" in his own way. I began to question if his personal issues would affect his professional life with Alicia. There were also moments where patient-doctor boundaries were being crossed and that was uncomfortable to sit with during certain scenes.
The suspense in this story is masterful and the characters are interesting. I enjoyed it all until I got to the last few chapters. The ending felt a bit rushed and clunky to me. Although there had been some vague hints that it would go the way that it did, it still felt kind of sudden, unearned, and clumsy with how it was executed. Obviously I won't say exactly what it was, but there was a device used for a particular reveal that I felt was cheap (the device, not the reveal). So that was annoying and kind of ruined the delicious build-up of an otherwise excellent mystery/thriller.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and if Goodreads allowed half stars, I'd have given it 3.5/5.
**
TW: child abuse/neglect; stalking; murder; infidelity.
Omg the plot twist. I honestly didn't see it coming. It does seem to be an "I know what happens next book" until you hit that twist...and then you're like "are you kidding me??" And for that, it deserves a 10.
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