What do readers think of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides? Write your own review.

This novel is like an onion. Author Alex Michaelides very deliberately and very slowly peels away the layers, creating a psychological thriller that teases and tantalizes the reader right up to the explosive ending.

This is the story of Alicia Berenson, a talented artist living in London. She has been married for seven years to Gabriel, an in-demand fashion photographer. They have a seemingly happy marriage until one night several shots ring out inside their home. When the police arrive, they find Gabriel tied to a chair and dead after having been shot five times point-blank in the face. Alicia is just standing by the fireplace. The gun is on the floor and only her fingerprints are on it. Instead of being found guilty of the murder and imprisoned, Alicia is sent to the Grove, a secure psychiatric facility in Hampstead, a residential community in North London where she refuses to speak. Six years go by. The crime is largely forgotten. But Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, remembers it. He maneuvers his way into employment at the Grove just so he can treat Alicia. His goal is to get her to speak again and find out what really happened on that fateful night. But Theo has personal problems of his own when he discovers that his beloved wife, Kathy, is cheating on him, a revelation that leaves him distraught and heartbroken. But his important and innovative work with Alicia must continue…

This is more than a murder mystery or a page-turning thriller, although it is both of those. It is also an intellectual thriller with pertinent and fascinating psychological facts offered throughout, as well as a literary thriller in that Alicia's case is loosely based on the tragedy "Alcestis" by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides.

Bonus: Do read the section at the end of the book titled "A Book Club Conversation with the Author," but DO NOT read it until you have finished the novel. It's filled with spoilers—and lots and lots and lots of information of the whys and hows and whats that Michaelides was thinking when he wrote this book. Fascinating!

Bottom line: Read this novel just for the ending. It's brilliant and may be one of the best endings ever!

"The silent patient" is still one of my favorite thrillers today. Highly recommend for those who are into psychological thrillers, the portray of mental illnesses, the twists and turns throughout the book, the gripping plot, the suspense had me hooked, in fact I continued guessing till the very end, but nothing compares to the twist at the end.

I'm not used to reading mysteries, but my local bookclub recommended this book. WOW. Lots of twists and turns through to the very end! I could barely put it down. Now...to read more mysteries!!!

The main characters in this psychodrama are flawed, some in obvious ways and others in less noticeable ways. Theo, the psychotherapist, is also Theo, the jealous husband. Alicia, the silent patient, is also Alicia, the famous artist, and also Alicia, the maligned daughter with an inferiority complex, as well as Alicia, the wronged wife, as well as Alicia, the convicted murderer. This is an edgy story that keeps you turning the pages, and the conclusion is an unexpected twist of the entire premise you may have built in your mind.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist and he is interested in Alice’s story who has murdered her husband. He is determined to get to the details behind the crime. Even though the patient (Alice) is silent throughout the narrative, the story progresses to spotlight her complex characteristics.

“Unexpressed emotions never die.
They are buried alive, and will come forth later, in uglier ways”

BEST Psychological Thriller I have read in a long time!
My opinion -
Very well researched topic and the quotes at the start of every part of the book make sense at the end.
Every scenario described feels so realistic and I was amazed how much engrossed I was in this book.
Nice pace and a very easy to understand and read kind of language used
The plot has a nice edginess and it wants you to keep turning pages to figure out what happens next!
I was amazed at the flawless development of the characters, outstanding buildup and curiosity maintained and in fact increasing as pages turned!
The final twist is the unique climax and no matter how much aware you are of the story, you’ll still not be able to predict it and I was mind blown by that sole fact
The chapters are well divided and the engrossing fast-paced read makes it a page turner for sure!
I enjoyed this wonderful psychological drama ride and cannot believe it is debut novel by Alex. Kudos!!

Conclusion -
It is definitely a clever and intriguing story with a mind-blowing twist to enjoy! The Silent Patient SPEAKS a lot -- It is for sure one of my favorite reads of 2019!

The Silent Patient is a solid first effort in the crowded arena of the psychological thriller genre. It was difficult to put down, nicely paced, with some interesting twists & turns. I did figure out the ultimate mystery before the big reveal. But, that didn’t change my thought about the book.

4.5 stars

Ewww! I feel like an idiot! I did not follow the clues at all! I was gobsmacked when the plot twist happened. This was a good book! I look forward to reading more by Michaelides. This book is worthy of a seasoned author, and being Michaelides' debut novel only has me hoping that he is well into his next book.

Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is treating Alicia Berenson. She has shot her husband, then has gone silent and has been placed at the Grove, a secured inpatient psychiatric center. Theo is trying to track down why she shot her husband when it seems they had a great life. Alicia is a painter, her husband Gabriel is a fashion photographer.

In the interim Theo and his wife Kathy begin to have marital problems. How much of his own trauma is rubbing off in his treatment of Alicia? Or is the treatment of Alicia worming its way into Theo's life? Where does the transference start and stop?

This is an exceptionally good debut novel. One you should not miss.

The Silent Patient engages the reader from the very beginning to the fantastic ending!

Raised in privilege, Alicia Berenson has continued to live in privilege in adulthood. Living in London with her somewhat older well-known photographer husband, she is a talented and famous painter. But Alicia's life has not been happy, either in childhood or adulthood. Late one night, a neighbor calls the police after hearing gunshots at Alicia's home. When the police arrive, the find Alicia's husband bound to a chair, dead with five gunshot wounds to his face, and Alicia standing in the shadows bleeding from lacerations to her wrists and with a gun that has only her fingerprints on it. She is unable to or refuses to speak. A trial ensues with Alicia continuing to remain silent. A plea of diminished responsibility is entered and Alicia is found guilty and placed in a mental hospital, the Grove. Six years later, Alicia remains at the Grove, still silent Theo Faber, a forensic psychotherapist, has also had a brutal childhood and believes he can help Alicia. When a position opens at the Grove, he joins the staff with the sole intent of bringing her out of silence and learning the whys of the murder.

Not having read mysteries or psychological thrillers in the past, I wasn't sure what to expect when I began reading this ARC provided via BookishFirst. Mr. Michaelides' writing is clear and concise and yet very descriptive. I easily pictured the locales of the narrative in my mind's eye and the character's were fully drawn. The story did seem to plod mildly at a few points, but not to the point of boredom. The conclusion of the book; OMG is too mild! The author rolls all elements into a tight, neat ball and then blows it up with dynamite. I daresay that this ending will be one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 publishing year.

The Silent Patient is a great read if you are a mystery or psychological thriller fan and it is a great read if you are not.