Though a great definition of a psychological thriller, The Silent Patient missed the mark for me in several ways...
The story is mostly narrated by Theo, a psychotherapist who set outs to treat Alicia. Since the murder of her husband six years prior, she hasn't spoken a word. What we know from Alicia's POV comes from her diary entries surrounding the time of the murder. Having read Alex Michaelides' other book The Maidens, I knew this would be a twisty story and to take every bit of information with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, having read The Maidens, I knew who not to trust almost instantly. Had this been my first experience with the author's writing, I feel I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
My biggest issue with the book wasn't so much the plot but rather a total disregard for authentic psychological practices and ethics. It was infuriating. There was also a lot of 'schooling' on psychology, however, it wasn't congruent with what was being presented through the story and the characters. In turn, it made the book and its twists limitedly plausible. While I did enjoy this more than The Maidens, not much (and for different reasons). It was nevertheless a page-turner which is always nice to find.
The story is mostly narrated by Theo, a psychotherapist who set outs to treat Alicia. Since the murder of her husband six years prior, she hasn't spoken a word. What we know from Alicia's POV comes from her diary entries surrounding the time of the murder. Having read Alex Michaelides' other book The Maidens, I knew this would be a twisty story and to take every bit of information with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, having read The Maidens, I knew who not to trust almost instantly. Had this been my first experience with the author's writing, I feel I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
My biggest issue with the book wasn't so much the plot but rather a total disregard for authentic psychological practices and ethics. It was infuriating. There was also a lot of 'schooling' on psychology, however, it wasn't congruent with what was being presented through the story and the characters. In turn, it made the book and its twists limitedly plausible. While I did enjoy this more than The Maidens, not much (and for different reasons). It was nevertheless a page-turner which is always nice to find.