My first novel by Michaelides and I can honestly say that I enjoyed it overall. The MC, Mariana Andros, is a group therapist who works with patients with a range of issues. What I found unique and somewhat frustrating about her was her empathy to the point of allowing boundaries to be crossed with her patients. This traversed into other areas of her own self where she seemed hindered in the ability to accept boundaries when it came to her amateur sleuthing. I was intrigued and in shock all at once with some of the things she would do and the outlandish ideas she came up with at times. I think that is why I was so drawn to her. She was a focal point when it cam to the characters in this book. In a way she was the sun and everything else was orbiting her in the plot for me and it kinda made everyone else just a Guess-Who card to cross out. Though I have to admit this was the first time I was able to pinpoint the suspect from the beginning. I blame all of the red herrings in this book. When each character started coming off as sinister. Secretive and “possible” it made perfect sense who didn’t fit the bill for me.
The plot is the type of setting that I really like. Therapist or therapy and the clinical aspects thrown into the setting alongside murders that have a deeper meaning. The mingling of mythology and the victims was poetically beautiful in such a creepy way. I really enjoyed this facet of the storyline and it’s one of the key points that kept me reading. My biggest drawback was the reveal. The why. The whole motive for everything that occurred. Without giving much away, I just felt it was anticlimactic and so psychotically childish in a sense. I’m still having a bit of a mind-boggle for the course of action that happened there. There are elements that just didn’t feel feasible too.
I also had the privilege of listening to the gifted ALC when I wasn’t able to sit down and read. I highly enjoyed listening to this one just as much as reading. The narration was well done and honestly fit Mariana in my head. I liked the parts spoken by the killer too. That was one of the highlights of the audio for me too. The narration really lent a level of sinister to this well-mannered individual I had in my head. It was like listening to Hannibal in all of his properness while he sliced his live dinner.
I’m excited to grab The Patient off my shelf and dive into that one next. I feel I missed a gem after experiencing Michaelides writing style and atmosphere and look forward to more of his work. Thank you, Celadon Books, for the invitation to join fellow readers on this journey through the imagery and background that inspired his novel. I also want to thank Macmillan Audio for the wonderfully narrated audio in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. True rating 3.5/5.
The plot is the type of setting that I really like. Therapist or therapy and the clinical aspects thrown into the setting alongside murders that have a deeper meaning. The mingling of mythology and the victims was poetically beautiful in such a creepy way. I really enjoyed this facet of the storyline and it’s one of the key points that kept me reading. My biggest drawback was the reveal. The why. The whole motive for everything that occurred. Without giving much away, I just felt it was anticlimactic and so psychotically childish in a sense. I’m still having a bit of a mind-boggle for the course of action that happened there. There are elements that just didn’t feel feasible too.
I also had the privilege of listening to the gifted ALC when I wasn’t able to sit down and read. I highly enjoyed listening to this one just as much as reading. The narration was well done and honestly fit Mariana in my head. I liked the parts spoken by the killer too. That was one of the highlights of the audio for me too. The narration really lent a level of sinister to this well-mannered individual I had in my head. It was like listening to Hannibal in all of his properness while he sliced his live dinner.
I’m excited to grab The Patient off my shelf and dive into that one next. I feel I missed a gem after experiencing Michaelides writing style and atmosphere and look forward to more of his work. Thank you, Celadon Books, for the invitation to join fellow readers on this journey through the imagery and background that inspired his novel. I also want to thank Macmillan Audio for the wonderfully narrated audio in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. True rating 3.5/5.