The Silent Patient easily goes onto my list of all time favorite reads. I was absolutely blown away by this book.
First and foremost: the TWIST. Alex Michaelides should teach a class on perfecting the plot twist because this is exactly how I want mine done. I don't need overly complicated, I don't want something out of left field. I want something shocking and juicy but I also want to look back and think "how did I miss that?!" Michaelides does a fantastic job crafting the leadup to the big reveal and I actually needed to reread a few pages because I was so shocked. I am far from an expert on this topic but Michaelides also makes the unique and personal choice to foreshadow the plot by sampling Greek tragedies. I felt like I learned a little something!
I could rave about the plot for days but the setting and characters are also well done. We get a great sense of Theo's job and what his work in like in different settings. The characters are well developed even as they're kept at arms length from the reader.
Overall, this is one of my favorite thriller reads of all time and I can't believe it was a debut.
First and foremost: the TWIST. Alex Michaelides should teach a class on perfecting the plot twist because this is exactly how I want mine done. I don't need overly complicated, I don't want something out of left field. I want something shocking and juicy but I also want to look back and think "how did I miss that?!" Michaelides does a fantastic job crafting the leadup to the big reveal and I actually needed to reread a few pages because I was so shocked. I am far from an expert on this topic but Michaelides also makes the unique and personal choice to foreshadow the plot by sampling Greek tragedies. I felt like I learned a little something!
I could rave about the plot for days but the setting and characters are also well done. We get a great sense of Theo's job and what his work in like in different settings. The characters are well developed even as they're kept at arms length from the reader.
Overall, this is one of my favorite thriller reads of all time and I can't believe it was a debut.