A Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

A coworker of mine had been trying to get me to read this book for months. Although she didn’t convince me. Every time I asked her about it she just shrugged and said “Yea it was good” but it took her a long time to get through it. That made me really question her judgment. Until one day I really needed a palette cleanse and decided to ask her to loan me The Silent Patient.

I’ve only read a few psychological thrillers: A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham, Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins, Verity by Colleen Hoover, and Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. So as you can see it hasn’t been many compared to the total amount of books I read.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist that has become obsessed with discovering the truth behind Alicia’s story and her silence. Alicia Berenson has been committed to a psychiatric institution after being convicted of murdering her husband. Alicia has

remained silent since the murder was committed, not even speaking at her trial. She was nicknamed the Silent Patient.

Theo Faber finds this intriguing. He wants to understand what caused her silence. He wants to help her find her voice again.

The way Alex Michaelides weaves together the past and present of both Theo and Alicia was perfect. The reader is not left confused wondering which time period Michaelides is referring to. This is something that I’ve noticed can be easily ruined in books, movies, and tv shows.

Michaelides fed us clues throughout these past and present moments and this is where it really pulls the novel together for me. As you are reading you find yourself wanting more of Alicia’s story. You feel the fervor that Theo is feeling each time he thinks he has gained progress in making her speak. You feel the utter heartbreaking disappointment each time Alicia takes ten steps back in her progression.

Michaelides feeds you little glimpses at Alicia’s life. You get to know who she is piece by piece. But even then you’re left wondering who she really is. Sometimes you think yes she was capable of doing it, other times you think no, she was triggered. As a reader, I was never clearly able to make the distinction or my final opinion of Alicia until the end.

Theo’s life felt boring and dull until it didn’t. His own relationship problems seemed to parallel those of Alicia and it made you wonder if he felt he could relate to her. Although, at times his need to make her talk just seemed obsessive, pushy, and futile. There were moments where as a reader I was tired of the same narrative.

Overall, I gave this book a 5-star review on good reads. I am no expert at predicting psychological thrillers or mysteries, probably because I haven’t read enough of them to see the patterns. I will say I don’t think the ending to this book was predictable. Each clue, each connection, and each reference to the past fit together like a lock and key.

I was left stunned and without words when I finally read the line that unveiled the mystery. That was what made me truly give it the stamp of approval.

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