The Silent Patient
By Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson, a famed painter and married to a well known fashion photographer, leads a perfect life on the surface. But when her husband is shot in the face five times in their home and all of the evidence points to her as the sole suspect, her inner demons start to emerge. The only catch is that since the night of the murder she doesn’t speak a single word to anyone ever again. Theo Faber, a local psychotherapist, is obsessed with trying to help her and get her to speak after taking her into his care. But some things may be better left unsaid.
“The real motivation was purely selfish. I was on a quest to help myself, I believe the same is true for most people who go into mental health. We are drawn to this profession because we are damaged – we study psychology to heal ourselves. Whether we are prepared to admit this or not is another question. “
Thoughts
A thriller from start to finish. The Silent Patient immediately grabs the reader and takes hold of the narrative through the eyes of Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who has some problems of his own. He gets obsessed with the case around Alicia Berenson and seeks out a way to see if he can help her. Michaelides does a great job at introducing the characters of this novel and specifically takes a look into their minds. In the case of Alicia her life becomes a whirlwind and we are watching it all unfold through the narrative of Theo. What is done really nicely is the way we are taken into Theo’s investigative mind around her case and slowly learn that he also has had a rough upbringing. It introduces an interesting layer to the story that runs in tandem to the chaos going on in Alicia’s mind. Written like a detective novel, but through the lense of psychotherapy this thriller takes you on a fascinating ride through the streets of London and lands you right back into the grounding feeling of am I crazy?
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