Books
Book Review: ‘The Silent Patient’
It’s been about a month since my last book review, and in that review, I mentioned how completely out of character it has been for me to be reading so much lately. Well, since then, I am very proud to say that I have read six more books. That’s right, six whole grown-up books I’ve read in the last five weeks. I mean, I know I told you all that I hoped the previous book review I wrote wouldn’t be my last, but there was never a time when I imagined myself reading six books in a five-week period. So mom, I guess this isn’t “just a stage” after all.
Of those six books, only two have been thrillers, which if you read my last review, you’d know are my favorite. I enjoyed reading both of them, but the one I’m going to write about today is called “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides, a psychological thriller that was super easy to read and nearly impossible to put down.
The Silent Patient is about Alicia Berenson, a famous painter in London, who murdered her husband and has been silent ever since. Alicia was convicted, then admitted into a psychiatric unit in North London, where she has spent the last six years silent. Theo Faber is a forensic psychotherapist, who, after six years of obsessing over Alicia’s case, finally gets the opportunity to work with her. Theo, you’ll learn, had a pretty traumatic upbringing. Given this and his seemingly miraculous recovery to become a forensic psychotherapist, Theo immediately empathizes with Alicia’s story and feels compelled to fix her. A psychotherapist turned Sherlock Holmes in a matter of pages, Theo is determined to unravel the mystery behind what sparked Alicia’s violent act and her subsequent silence.
Between their silent meetings together and his own—what I can only describe as—illegal and inappropriate “detective work,” Theo begins to grasp the true identity of Alicia Berenson. Just like any psychological thriller worth its salt, the twists and turns in this book will leave you wanting more until the very end. And the ending, well, that you certainly won’t expect. I didn’t, that’s for sure.
Overall, I really liked this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a thriller, and The Silent Patient did not disappoint. The storytelling in this contemporary novel is dark, twisted, and addicting, with an ending that will leave you speechless. On a 5-star scale, I’d rate this book a 4.5. I highly recommend it.