Book Review: The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient (2019) by Alex Michaelides

Fiction | Mystery | Thriller

Disclaimer: In every review that I complete, I try my best to avoid spoilers of any kind and include spoiler warnings when necessary.

About the book (from Goodreads)

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 was named the 2019 Winner of Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller.

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My Review

I've wanted to read this book for a while. I finally received a copy from the library, and boy, am I glad that I did! This book won awards from Goodreads for a reason. Throughout the story, I found myself pointing fingers at every person that entered Alicia's life. Now, I wouldn't say that this is a THRILLER, per se, but I am on board with the mysterious aspect of the murder of Alicia's husband.

The Good Things

1. The psychotherapist is flat, but only at first. You start to relate to his character, and by the end of the third part, I thoroughly liked him.

2. Alicia is an enigma, and I am here for her mysterious character.

3. The mental health factors of the book are written exceptionally well. The author knew what he was talking about and possibly had experience with them.

The Bad Things

*#1 IS A POTENTIAL SPOILER*

1. The narrator rambles about things that don't seem to pertain to the story. However, these ramblings do add to the story - we just don't find out until later why.

2. There were a few MINOR flaws, such as the therapist taking a lighter in, the lack of background checks on therapists at the hospital, and a few others.

3. There are a few characters I want to know more about: not a bad thing, I just want MORE.

My Final Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆ (Goodreads)

☆☆☆☆☆ (Amazon)

☆☆☆☆☆ (Blog)

If you are interested in purchasing this book from Amazon, click here!

Please feel free to leave comments concerning how you liked -or didn't like, no judgment here- this book. I would love to hear your thoughts!