I loved the Silent Patient, so as soon as I heard Alex Michaelides was coming out with another book I was sold. Sadly I think I wanted to like this one a little more than I did like it. Mariana returns to her old college to visit her niece after a student is found dead. Mariana immediately finds herself determined to figure out the mystery when she decides the police are just jumping to the first and most obvious suspect.
I’ll start with the positives, because of course they were there! I LOVED that this story took place in the same universe as the Silent Patient and it was done so subtly I did not see that coming, that tie between them. I liked how mythology tied into this one (although at time the explaining edged into over explaining). It was a nice parallel and unique piece. There were good red herrings although I had a strong suspicion it would end as it did.
The things I didn’t like revolved largely around the characters. Mariana, is a group therapist and some of the things she did or didn’t do as a professional bothered me greatly. Maybe it’s just because my background is also as a therapist, but her inaction to a client who is obsessed and stalking her was appalling. I also was greatly concerned about how she misrepresented her role as a psychotherapist (instead of what she was really doing which was investigating) to speak with grieving students. I had a hard time liking or connecting to any of the characters in this story.
I’ll start with the positives, because of course they were there! I LOVED that this story took place in the same universe as the Silent Patient and it was done so subtly I did not see that coming, that tie between them. I liked how mythology tied into this one (although at time the explaining edged into over explaining). It was a nice parallel and unique piece. There were good red herrings although I had a strong suspicion it would end as it did.
The things I didn’t like revolved largely around the characters. Mariana, is a group therapist and some of the things she did or didn’t do as a professional bothered me greatly. Maybe it’s just because my background is also as a therapist, but her inaction to a client who is obsessed and stalking her was appalling. I also was greatly concerned about how she misrepresented her role as a psychotherapist (instead of what she was really doing which was investigating) to speak with grieving students. I had a hard time liking or connecting to any of the characters in this story.