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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 spotlight of the tabloids 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 search for the truth leads him down a terrifying path and threatens to consume him.… (more)
Media reviews
The Silent Patient is narrated by Theo Faber, a psychotherapist determined to discover why Alicia Berenson, a famous artist accused of murdering her husband, has refused to speak since her husband’s death. The therapeutic setting was inspired by
Running through the novel is the Greek myth of Alcestis, and Euripides’s play of the same name. The Alcestis theme is perhaps one of the reasons that The Silent Patient is finding such traction both among early readers and the tranche of movie executives who fought to option it. With its story of female sacrifice and the silencing of a woman post-trauma, it feels highly relevant in a post #MeToo world. “It’s about silence as a weapon,” Michaelides says. “And it was very clear in my head when I was writing the book that Alicia was surrounded by these men who were imprisoning her. Like Alcestis, Alicia is trapped and she’s denied a voice. It’s a lifetime of being made to think that she wasn’t worthy, she wasn’t good enough, and maybe that’s something that a lot of women [readers] have been responding to.”
The novel has already been optioned by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, with Michaelides due to write the screenplay, a fitting circularity for a novelist who has spent the past 15 years working as a screenwriter.
User reviews
The Silent Patient is Alicia Bereson. She was a well known painter and she has
Theo Fabor, forensic psychotherapist, succeeds in getting a job at the Grove in hopes to be able to help Alicia. Theo is a wreck and really needs to see a therapist himself. Both Alicia and Theo suffer from the pain of not being loved and they both had damaging childhoods that resulted in abandonment issues.
“The aim of therapy is not to correct the past, but to enable the patient to confront his own history, and to grieve over it.”
Theo is certain that he is the one that can finally break through to Alicia to get her to speak again. As Theo investigates to try to figure out what happened to make Alicia stop speaking, we meet a lot of other characters who all became suspects. I did figure things out, but it was close to the end before I did. Overall, it wasn't outstanding but it was a good page-turning book that will keep you guessing what's really going on.
The problem I had with this book (and with similar books) is that while there are some twists and turns, nothing really surprised me. Ask yourself: Why would a psychiatrist quit a good job at a prominent hospital to take a job at a small, failing asylum to work with one particular patient? Sounded kind of suspicious and stalker-ish to me from the beginning, so the rest of the novel was really ho-hum for me. On top of that, the writing itself was sophomoric. I skimmed a lot and finished the thing in less than a day. Sorry, but I like my books to be a good deal meatier. The only thing of interest was Alicia's fascination with a Greek myth--a woman who dies in her husband's place and is brought back from Hell but never speaks again.
but
“It’s not hopeless. You’re not a boy at the mercy of your father anymore.”
It all started out so well: The narrator, Theo Faber, is a psychotherapist who goes out of his way to help Alicia, the “Silent Patient”. Alicia has been put into a psychiatric hospital after her husband was murdered with her standing next to him, the weapon at her feet. She refuses to (or can’t) speak at all.
Theo himself is damaged as well by an overbearing father who has always made him feel insufficient, worthless and a failure (cf. opening quotation). He feels like he’s pretty much the only person on earth who can help Alicia find her voice – metaphorically and literally – and so he sets out to help her.
The setting I described above intrigued me – it sounded exciting and promised suspense and I strongly related to Theo with whom I felt I shared some “history”.
“Psychotherapy had quite literally saved my life.”
The entire first part of the book struck me deeply and the narrative “vibes” resonated within myself:
“I could feel myself thawing in the heat, softening around the edges, like a tortoise emerging into the sun after a long winter’s sleep, blinking and waking up. Kathy did that for me—she was my invitation to life, one I grasped with both hands. So this is it, I remember thinking. This is love.”
I vividly remember a few situations (e. g. the restaurant in Amsterdam, C., where they “shot” me ;) ) with my wife of almost 20 years now that triggered similar feelings and reminded me of similar experiences.
“About love. About how we often mistake love for fireworks—for drama and dysfunction. But real love is very quiet, very still. It’s boring, if seen from the perspective of high drama. Love is deep and calm—and constant.”
These “autobiographic connections” and the expectations they raised are, undoubtedly, part of why I feel so let-down by and disappointed in this book.
Soon, though, there were discordant tones within the narration that had rung true so far:
“I wanted to reach out and pull her close. I wanted to hold her. But I couldn’t. Kathy had gone—the person I loved so much had disappeared forever, leaving this stranger in her place.”
This is quite obviously delusional – Theo simply confuses his picture of Kathy with the real person. Sure, this is certainly a literary device but crudely wielded and, thus, it annoyed me slightly in the beginning.
Later in the book, Theo’s own issues become even more prevalent and, to me at least, more and more annoying. They escalate in their narrational crudeness as well:
“Perhaps he wasn’t human at all, but the instrument of some malevolent deity intent on punishing me. Was God punishing me?”
Yes, sure, whatever...
There are quite a few characters as well who take quite some space in the book but never really get used: There’s Jean-Felix, a caricature of a gallery owner and Alicia’s friend, there’s her brother-in-law, the latter’s wife, Tanya (his assistant, how cliched is that...), Alicia’s cousin Paul and others who pretty much all have something to hide or to be embarrassed about but who only ever serve as a means to an end – to distract us, the reader, from the simple truth which you begin to sense early on and which leads to “the big twist”.
Other characters, like the hospital’s director, Diomedes, are pretty much caricatures of themselves, so shallowly are they depicted.
On the other hand, Michaelides does get a few things right: Short, engaging chapters that keep you glued to the book (“just one more chapter and then I’ll sleep!”), inserting excerpts from Alicia’s diary helps as well and all in all, it’s still an interesting read – at least in the beginning.
The middle parts of the book are rather slow and uneventful. Lots of stuff is going on but only few things happen that actually drive the story forward. Towards the end, things are being rushed and the story, after “the big twist”, deflates as quickly as a punctured balloon.
Ultimately, this book has good ideas and an interesting premise but it feels sensationalist and simply can’t live up to the hype that’s been generated about it. Alex Michaelides is, first and foremost, a screen writer and it definitely shows in this book.
To be honest I had no clue that this book even existed until I came across the Goodreads Choice Awards List. I saw that it had got the maximum votes I thought why not try it out!
The beginning hooked me and I couldnt keep it down till I finished. And at the end I was just
Completely worth reading!!
I will say that one good thing about this book is that I didn't feel physically scared while reading it--that's something that I tremendously dislike, so that was a point in its favor. Maybe it was the "psychological" part of the thriller--I don't read enough to know. But I really don't think that the thriller structure is really for me. Sure, the twist at the end was definitely a big reveal (I could see pieces of the ending coming but hadn't put it all together), but I just didn't like the book. Definitely really readable, but not a book for me.
If any book deserved the one-work review, "No," this would be it. It's made a lot of best of 2019 lists and I'm sure I won't convince
6/13/2021; 2,855 members; 3.78 average rating
The good.
Very easy to read.
Short chapters and the pages turned quickly.
I didn't spot the
The bad.
That the psychotherapist was an unreliable witness SCREAMED at me - it was so obvious.
Also
So a quick read but nothing special. Why it's won awards I really don't know.
Alice’s silence propels the story
But no one could ever have predicted what lay behind that wall of silence.
Weaving well-drawn, complex characters into an intriguing mystery, the dark narrative spins out a tale where nothing is as it seems and the tension is heightened by the sinister undertone of the plot. Short chapters keep the suspense building while unexpected reveals and plot twists move the story in unpredictable directions. Although astute readers may identify the final twist before its stunning revelation, this spellbinding, multi-layered tale of murder, infidelity, and revenge will keep them enthralled until they’ve turned the final page in this completely unputdownable book.
Highly recommended.
The book itself? It was a good one. I gorged
Many thanks to Celadon Books for providing me with this totally amazing advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest review.
THE SILENT PATIENT lulled me into a false sense of complacency then snatched the rug from under my
Kudos!
If you enjoy psychological thrillers this is one you don't want to miss!
I received an ARC via NetGalley
Alicia is found standing over her husband’s body, holding a gun. But she won’t talk. She won’t reveal what happpend in the days leading up to and the night of the murder.
It was an interesting read that really held my attention. I read the novel in one day! But it also didn’t blow me like I thought it would. The plot was fast-paced, the story was well written, and the characters were well developed. However, the psychological thriller twist at the end was clever, but it didn’t have the punch you in the gut, leave your head spinning, wait a second I have to go back a few chapters to figure this out, wow factor liked I had hoped. Overall a fun, quick read that suspense and thriller fans will most definitely enjoy!
The Silent Patient is one of the most original, well written, compelling books I've ever read. And the twist? I'm still reeling from it.
I truly got lost in in this story. The characters have incredible emotional depth. The mystery of Alicia's
I want to say so much, but I don't want to give away a single detail. What I can tell you without a doubt is that this book will remain at the top of my favorites list. And it's Alex Michaelides first novel! I can't wait to see what comes next.
*I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*
OK, I never saw THAT ending coming! Quite an interesting book that moves along quickly. I became very engaged in the story and liked the characters. I can’t say it was very suspenseful because it’s one of those books that’s more interested in the “why” since we already know the “who” and the “what” but the mystery certainly held me in its grip. This debut author knows how to captivate his audience and I think this may well be a huge success when it’s released next February. I definitely want to see how the movie is handled (yes, the film rights have already been snatched up, by an Oscar-winning producer no less) and will be on the lookout for what this author writes next.
Addictive, well-written thriller. Recommended.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Ok, so the opening scene was attention grabbing. Even the next several chapters kept my interest. However, it was pretty apparent early on for me that the whole
While. I may not have been overjoyed about this book; the ending was worth it. A good first book by new author, Mr. Michaelides. I will keep an eye out for what he comes out with next.
Alicia Berenson is a patient in a mental health facility. She shot her husband five times in the face and hasn't spoken a single word since.
The story consists of two strands. One is Alicia's diary, details of what happened in the time running up to the shooting. The other is Theo's telling of what happens after he gets the job at the facility and how he deals with Alicia. His story is by far the more dominant one and the one which I enjoyed most of all, but Alicia's diary is crucial to the story.
This is a thriller with a psychological aspect. The author takes us deep into the psyche of both of our protagonists and leaves us with as many questions as answers until all of a sudden that wham bam moment comes along. It's quite a wait for it but my goodness, I wasn't expecting it to be what it was. Unfortunately, the presence of that shocking moment is well documented and so I was expecting something quite amazing, but even so, I wasn't expecting that. The author plotted the book so incredibly well that I had to read that bit more than once and then recalibrate my entire thoughts about the whole thing.
I can see why The Silent Patient is making waves. It's intense and it's thrilling. One of the words that came to mind when I was reading was 'gothic'. It has a gothic feel to it, that darkness, that intensity, Alicia's silence. With a number of quite short chapters, it kept me turning the pages late into the night. As a debut it's quite something.
There are two competing stories in this excellent psychological thriller. One concerns an artist, Alicia Berenson, a woman of fragile emotions and a victim of circumstance. After her mother committed suicide, she
When she was able, she left the home and eventually fell deeply in love and married a successful photographer, Gabriel Berenson. When her father died, she had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide, but afterwards, seemed fine, until the day she thought she saw someone watching her, from a distance. Was it her imagination?
The second story concerns Dr. Theo Faber, a man who also had a troubled past. Raised by an angry, abusive father and an alcoholic mother, he too attempted suicide when younger. However, he fell in love and married and was now working as the psychotherapist at The Grove, where Alicia Berenson was sent after her trial. He seems to have been fascinated by her work and was obsessed with treating her. It was his dream to encourage her to speak, although she had not spoken a word for the six years that had passed since she was convicted of the murder of her husband.
There is a third character that underlies the story. The character is Alcestis who became well known in the Greek tragedy written by Euripedes. She was willingly sacrificed and died in place of her husband. However, Hercules intervened, in some versions, and brought her back to life by battling death and winning. This theme permeated the novel in subtle and overt ways.
The timeline was confusing for some readers, but the author, obviously intended it to be. To those of you who like to peek at the end, don’t. There are numerous twists and turns as the story plays out and the conclusion will be a huge surprise to most readers.
The narrators who read the book on the audio were absolutely superb, interpreting each word perfectly for each character, with mood and setting becoming almost visible from their portrayal. My big criticism is the use of unnecessary foul language which did nothing to enhance the narrative. On a positive note, it would make a great movie.
A husband is murdered. A wife accused. However, she is silent and says nothing.
I just finished this book and I was NOT disappointed.