The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The more I read of this story, the more I was sucked into all of the drama and the fear and the more I knew that I must find out exactly what happened to Alicia Berenson and what happened the night her husband Gabriel died. But she isn’t talking. She has not spoken a word since that night. Not one word in 6 years.

Psychotherapist Theo Faber is determined to save her. He is certain that he can make her talk and get her to explain what happened and why she has not spoken since. The more he reaches into her mind, the more he gives of himself and the more consumed he becomes with trying to save her.

This novel is written in 3rd person with Theo as its focus, but it also gives hints of Alicia’s point of view through what she has written in her diary. Theo’s POV is also somewhat scattered as he is following the thread of his wife’s infidelity. So not only is he being consumed by Alicia’s well-being but also of trying to decide whether to save his marriage or to all the affair to destroy it. “Love that doesn’t include honesty doesn’t deserve to be called love. ~ Ruth, The Silent Patient

In a novel where one of the main characters only talks through short flashbacks in her diary, it is truly amazing how connected I felt toward her. Not only that but how much I wanted to help her, as well. I could not believe how much I wanted to see her overcome her silence and to be exonerated through the process.

After Gabriel’s murder Alicia, a realist artist, painted one last picture. This one of herself with one word at the bottom: Alcestis. Alcestis is from a Greek tragedy about a woman who volunteered her own life to save her husband from death. She was spared, but never spoke another word. No one knows what Alicia meant with the painting, or how the name she gave it connected to her life.

With characters that seem so real, I wanted to be friends with Alicia and I really wanted Theo to be successful with bringing her back to reality. I wanted to know what happened that night, and I wanted Alicia to be blameless. (Not too much to ask, right?)

While I have said that I like to picture the settings of books, this book was heavier on characterization, but with just enough setting to allow your mind to create a clear picture of the places mentioned. Because the characterization is so spectacular, the setting in this novel is not super important but enough to let you play it all out in your head.

This is truly a psychological thriller with a good dose of mystery tucked inside. I highly recommend this novel if you like either of those genres. There is something about this book that reminds me of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. It may be that you are looking back at an event and trying to solve a mystery by going through the issues that led up to the night of the murder.

The movie rights have been purchased and I am very hopeful that someone will make this a movie and not a mini-series as the trend has been lately.

Until then, you need to read the book!

Book Details: 

• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• Hardback: 336 pages; Celadon Books (February 5, 2019)
• Kindle: 5122 KB; 297 pages; Celadon Books (February 5, 2019)
• Audiobook: 8 hours 43 minutes;  Jack Hawkins (Narrator), Louise Brealey (Narrator), Macmillan Audio (Publisher)

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