It’s one of those books that you are unable to put down.
Alicia Berenson is condemned to a psychiatric unit for the murder of her husband in a murder–suicide attempt. Much attention is focused on Alicia as she has remained silent since the fatal incident. Six years later, Psychotherapist Theo Faber is offered the opportunity to work with Alicia and goes through great lengths to break her silence. Will he succeed or will the impact that Alicia has on him ultimately consume him?
The story is told from Theo’s perspective throughout his treatment of Alicia and the downfalls in his personal life. The reader is also offered splattered pages of Alicia’s diary—given to her as a coping mechanism in dealing with the mental health issues she suffered from. Within, she outlines moments in her life leading up to the murder of her husband. No crazy thoughts allowed. Theo piecing together the puzzle of why Alicia would not speak wasn’t of great interest to me until those pieces began to come together. At that point, I became engrossed in this story.
Alex Michaelides’s manner of writing kept a steady pace and made it very challenging to pause my reading. There were so many twists and red herrings within this novel leading to a masterful ending that I had not anticipated. It took me completely by surprise and left me wondering if every page that came before it was just an illusion. Seriously, I read Part V a few times, and I applaud Alex for his creativity and the manner in which he delivered this story as a whole.
It was interesting to learn that Alex has focused his attention on writing for the film industry; with The Silent Patient being his first novel. He executed a well-balanced and suspenseful novel with superb character development. I can see this easily being adapted to television or cinema—which I suppose speaks highly to his screenwriting experience. This was an excellent debut and I’ll be keeping my eye on this author for sure.
The story is told from Theo’s perspective throughout his treatment of Alicia and the downfalls in his personal life. The reader is also offered splattered pages of Alicia’s diary—given to her as a coping mechanism in dealing with the mental health issues she suffered from. Within, she outlines moments in her life leading up to the murder of her husband. No crazy thoughts allowed. Theo piecing together the puzzle of why Alicia would not speak wasn’t of great interest to me until those pieces began to come together. At that point, I became engrossed in this story.
Alex Michaelides’s manner of writing kept a steady pace and made it very challenging to pause my reading. There were so many twists and red herrings within this novel leading to a masterful ending that I had not anticipated. It took me completely by surprise and left me wondering if every page that came before it was just an illusion. Seriously, I read Part V a few times, and I applaud Alex for his creativity and the manner in which he delivered this story as a whole.
It was interesting to learn that Alex has focused his attention on writing for the film industry; with The Silent Patient being his first novel. He executed a well-balanced and suspenseful novel with superb character development. I can see this easily being adapted to television or cinema—which I suppose speaks highly to his screenwriting experience. This was an excellent debut and I’ll be keeping my eye on this author for sure.