After Alicia killed her husband, Gabriel, she never spoke again, was admitted to the Grove, a psychiatric hospital, and became "The Silent Patient." Theo, her new psychotherapist, is desperate to help her, but can he get her to break her silence when no one else could?
"I was on a quest to help myself. I believe the same is true for most people who go into mental health. We are drawn to this profession because we are damaged -- we study psychology to heal ourselves."
After completing this book, I'm not sure what to think or say or do... I feel like drooling while staring at a blank wall. Do I mean that in a good, oh-I'm-so-shocked kind-of way? No, no I do not. But also, yes kind of. This book had all the makings of a great thriller. The premise was intriguing (why won't Alicia speak?) and the short chapters made for a quick read (I especially enjoyed Alicia's diary entries), but the story itself moved agonizingly slow. It wasn't until the last 1/4 that things really picked up for me. And yes, of course, then THE TWIST happened. The one everyone is talking about. Yes, it was shocking and I didn't see it coming (kudos to the debut author for that)... but does that make the book a 5 star read after it was a solid 3 throughout? For me, the answer is no. Mostly because I found so much of the story implausible, especially the ending. 2.5 stars.
"I was on a quest to help myself. I believe the same is true for most people who go into mental health. We are drawn to this profession because we are damaged -- we study psychology to heal ourselves."
After completing this book, I'm not sure what to think or say or do... I feel like drooling while staring at a blank wall. Do I mean that in a good, oh-I'm-so-shocked kind-of way? No, no I do not. But also, yes kind of. This book had all the makings of a great thriller. The premise was intriguing (why won't Alicia speak?) and the short chapters made for a quick read (I especially enjoyed Alicia's diary entries), but the story itself moved agonizingly slow. It wasn't until the last 1/4 that things really picked up for me. And yes, of course, then THE TWIST happened. The one everyone is talking about. Yes, it was shocking and I didn't see it coming (kudos to the debut author for that)... but does that make the book a 5 star read after it was a solid 3 throughout? For me, the answer is no. Mostly because I found so much of the story implausible, especially the ending. 2.5 stars.