The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Author : Alex Michaelides

Year of Published : 2019

Original Language : English

Publisher : Celadon Books, New York

Genre : Psychological Thriller, Suspense

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 reason why I chose the book is because of the catchy title. I don't really like the cover but The Silent Patient is just screaming the genre immediately. I didn't even check the rating beforehand. It feels like a blind date.  

The book started with a piece of the journal of Alicia Berenson. She, having the free spirit and unorganized thought try to write down her thought in a journal for the sake of promise to her husband, Gabriel. 

But not so long after she started to write, Alicia Berenson found in the crime scene with a riffle and a dead husband, shot six times in close range.  Police found no other suspect except Alicia. 

The strange thing, Alicia clams up. She doesn't speak at all. She was not defending or admitting. She was just silent. 

Instead of spending the time in jail, Alicia sent to the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit in North London. Even six years have passed, Alicia still silent.

Meanwhile, a criminal psychotherapist, Theo Faber was drawn to Alicia's mystery. He chose to abandon his excellent career to apply to an almost-sinking hospital, The Grove. A place where Alicia kept.

Maybe it is because of their background. Growing up from abusing-father, Theo almost ends his life in his college days because he never felt loved enough. But then he met his psychotherapist, Ruth that save his life. That time, Theo chose to follow her career path. 

Then he finally met Alicia. The beautiful Alicia that now seems hazy due to the heavy medication. Theo took everything to make Alicia respond to him. Lower her medication, talking to peoples that know her.

But Alicia is no easy case, once they lowered her medication, she started to attack Theo. Plus, she has a history of suicide in the past. 

Every day, Theo tries to peel the mystery of why Alicia clams up. Theo believes in Alicia, but one thing for sure, Theo only wants to solve the mystery. 

The story centered on how Theo try to solve the reason behind Alicia's silence. Day after day, Theo is drawn into Alicia's background and everyone around him tried to remind him but failed. Alicia is like Theo's obsession, beat up, suspicious, he ignores the danger and risk to get the answer.  

At first, I am confused because it is hard to differentiate between Theo is a psychotherapist or a detective. He visits everyone that knows Alicia and asking questions like a detective. Even the question is not Psychotherapist. 

Nonetheless, The story is exciting and the diction is easy to understand not usual England book. 

Most of all, every page of this book is really a page-turner. Alicia's character is described as a beautiful and free-spirited painter that has an issue with her self-confidence. She has a dark past but Gabriele, the warm photographer has changed her life more positively. Her career doing well and they love each other deeply.

Meanwhile, Theo's character is smart, detail, a perfectionist but with a gloomy mood. His dark past made him an introvert and second-guessing motive and other people. He only trusts himself.  He has the total opposite of a wife. Happy and a free-spirited lover.

Well, this is the first book by Alex Michaelides. Though I still find the loophole, I can say that this is almost a perfect thriller. He chose to end the book by revealing a shocking twist, that I can detect it only several pages before that. 

What I Love the most from the book is every page is well-crafted to seek the reader's attention. And most of all, it is only 353 pages to end up the mystery. Not slow-paced but not too soon also.

For those who love Gone Girl or Girls on the Train, I think you will love this book! I really recommend it especially to kill your quarantine hours.