The Silent Patient

Just as a psychotherapist seeks to get to the root cause of a patient’s mental disorder, I found myself in a similar position – trying to get to the bottom of the incidents surrounding Alicia’s husband’s death. Like every successful thriller, there are plenty of twists and turns with an ending I didn’t see coming.

This book didn’t start out in the usual way. That in itself grabbed my attention. It’s a thriller, so I expect the first paragraph at least to pull me in. It didn’t grab me the way most do; it slowly sucked me in until I found myself not wanting to put it down.

The two main characters seemed to be at odds. One wanting to help and one refusing to speak. I don’t understand not trying to find answers that keep me silent. It must be the curiosity that kept me reading. Because the woman could speak. At least she… show more.

After a short prologue diary entry, the book starts with a bang, describing the circumstances of a murder in a cool, factual way and introducing the murderess–the ‘silent patient’ of the title. I was immediately drawn in, wanting to know all the whys and wherefores of the situation: how did their seemingly loving relationship come to this, and why was Alicia, the murderer, refusing to speak?

Why is this psychologist taking such a personal (and unprofessional) interest in her case and why is he so determined to make her speak again? A great premise for a novel and the specifics… show more.

suspenseful look at psychological approach to a resistant patient

This book made me gasp when I read the ending. I’m usually pretty good at figuring out whodunnits, but this was a plot twist I didn’t see coming. I went back and re-read it to see if everything fit together. It did. A well-plotted and fun read that relies on Greek Mythology and the timeless classics of Agatha Christie for its inspiration.

Many contemporary thrillers’ ultimate twist hinges on the use of an unreliable narrator. One of the best is Alex Michaelides’ internationally bestselling debut, The Silent Patient. It follows a psychotherapist trying to help his patient, Alicia, recover after she refuses to speak following the murder of her husband.

The novel is a perfect balancing act of suspecting Alicia yet finding her sympathetic in equal measure. I did not, for one moment, anticipate the ending and first-person unreliable narration is key to Michaelides’ masterful twist.

This psychological thriller is one where Oprah could stand in front of all its characters and say, “You made a bad choice! And you made a bad choice!”

It’s a slow-burn kind of story that eventually blew my mind so much I gasped—audibly. I liked that the book gives readers a chance to see a scenario where the choices made aren’t excusable, but are still wrapped into a deliciously entertaining and slightly disturbing story.

Some books make you gasp, and this is one where I sat up and breathed out sharp.

I loved the opening of this book which left me with so many questions I had to read on. The characterization had a deep impact on me. The author’s focus on it meant that I was invested in all the characters right until the end. And wanting to know more about not only what happened, but how it was affecting the characters is what drew me into the book.

It taught me about the assumptions we make, as a reader, and in life,… show more.

Alicia, a prominent painter, is arrested for the murder of her husband. The situation leaves her unable to communicate and the courts sentence her to a forensic unit to live forever in silence.

Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, feels he can help Alicia find her voice. But Theo has his own inner demons. The two work together to discover what happened that fateful night.

The writing was memorizing. Both Theo’s and Alicia’s stories keep the reader enthralled. The climax comes as a total surprise and is more shocking because of it. I had heard about this book for a while.… show more.

As a reader, I felt deceived. The novel is about a mute female artist who allegedly murdered her beloved husband. 

As a writer, I saw the omission of a date in the timeline that would have robbed the story of its twist ending. 

After personally experiencing five years of life with a sociopath, I finally understood why the novel was written as it was and why readers everywhere swear it’s the best suspense novel ever.

The narrator is a highly educated and deeply sympathetic sociopath.