An Unforgettable Thriller: A Book Review of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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....

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.

If you’re in the mood for a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end, then you need to read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.

The book centres on Alicia Berenson, a successful artist who seemingly snaps one day and brutally murders her husband. She is sent to a secure psychiatric unit and refuses to speak to anyone for years. Her case catches the attention of criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber, who is determined to get to the bottom of Alicia’s story and finally get her to speak.

As Theo begins digging into Alicia’s past, he soon discovers that there might be more to her story than meets the eye. As he gets closer and closer to uncovering the truth, Theo realizes he may be risking his own sanity – and freedom – to find out what happened that fateful night.

Michaelides does an excellent job of developing his characters as he tells his story through the eyes of our two main protagonists, Theo and Alicia. Theo is a well-rounded character; we see his flaws and his strengths. He’s human and fallible, which makes him relatable and sympathetic. Alicia is also a complex character; she’s enigmatic and mysterious, which keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

The development of these two characters is crucial to the story; without it, the plot would be far less engaging. I think authors take a risk when the focus is almost wholly on the intimate play between the two main characters with minimal “side action” to detract from character flaws. But Michaelides pulled it off by creating two truly interesting people.

So you may be asking, why 4 stars instead of 5? If an author takes this stylistic approach, the interactions between the characters need to be just as engaging as the characters themselves. As a result, the story sometimes dragged on a bit, but not significantly.

Overall, I enjoyed The Silent Patient. The ending was a bit of a surprise, but it was a fitting end to a gripping tale. If you are looking for a book that will keep you entertained and guessing, then I would definitely recommend The Silent Patient.