A Magnificent Novel

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Summary: Alicia Berenson is a painter while her husband, Gabriel, is a photographer. They seem to have an okay life, if not perfect, until the night of August 25 when Alicia shoots Gabriel in the face five times, then never speaks another word. Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, is determined to get Alicia to speak. He begins the long process of working with her to unravel what actually happened that evening. In the process, he’s forced to uncover the truth of himself as well.

Thoughts: This book is so, so good, definitely the best I’ve read so far in 2021. In a way, I called the ending, but not really. I had many different ideas about the plot twist, and one of them was correct, but I didn’t know until it happened. This is one of those books where you just stop after the plot twist, sit there, and contemplate what you just read. I can’t go into too much detail for the sake of ruining it for someone else, but I can say that if you like psychological thrillers and twist endings, this is the book for you. I loved how we got glimpses of Alicia’s diary tucked throughout the book as it allowed us to really get to know her better.

Warnings: This book is very heavy on the mental health aspect, especially since the majority of it takes place in a psychiatric hospital. If you think mentions of mental health, personal harm, suicide, overdosing, abuse, and similar issues may be triggering to you, be careful with this one.

All in all, I LOVED this one and I can’t wait to read more by Alex Michaelides.