Book Review - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Title: The Silent Patient
Series: -
Author: Alex Michaelides
 
Description: 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....
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....
 
Review: Gabriel and Alicia Berenson have been married for seven years when Alicia shoots her husband in the face five times. She doesn’t say a thing and Alicia is committed to The Grove, a psychiatric clinic. Now, six years later, she still hasn’t said a single word since that night. Theo Faber is a psychotherapist and applies for a job at The Grove. Theo is convinced he is the right person to break Alicia’s silence that will finally unravel the mystery surrounding the drama.
 
“The Silent Patient” is the debut novel of author Alex Michaelides. In the book we follow three storylines: Diary entries from Alicia, Theo’s private life and the contact between Theo and Alicia in the clinic. And the way these eventually blend together is so well-done.
 
Theo is clearly fascinated by the tragedy of Gabriel’s murder and Alicia’s silence. The contact between Theo and Alicia feels very realistic, this due to the background of Michaelides life as a therapist himself. To better understand Alicia, Theo delves into her past and the discoveries he makes in the process, together with the diary, form a clear sketch of the personality behind the mysterious woman. The main characters are well-developed, the other characters add more mystery to the story.
 
“The Silent Patient” is a carefully constructed story that constantly gives the reader the feeling that something is not right. What exactly is not right remains in the dark for a long time, ensuring that the story becomes and remains suspenseful and ominous.
 
This is one of the best debut novels I have ever read, with a reveal and twist I could have never expected. A new all-time favorite, for sure. I also read Michaelides second novel, “The Maidens”, last year, which I also loved. I will now read anything he writes.  
 
Rating: 5/ 5