Two artists. A ghastly murder. And then, silence.
The author tells the story of the murder of a photographer by his artist wife, who then refuses to speak a word. It is complex, and messy. But it is also the story of how we are all crazy in some way, and must come terms with it. The story begins with not with the murderer but her therapist, and I like this approach. It sets the tone as one of reflection, instead of being clinical or moralizing. It also hints that the story has more than one layer. At the beginning the artist speaks of how, before the murder, her inspiration wanes. As a writer, there is nothing more terrifying than having the constant fountain of words dry up. To be unable to express the things that fill you up. I have experienced this and it is a kind of madness. But can lack of creativity make you kill? In The Silent Patient we, the reader, hope to find out.
If you are a creative person who has struggled with the spectre of mental illness, or have a close friend or relative in that situation, this book is for you. It's more than a study in why someone kills. It's a journey into a broken landscape that we all have traveled at one time, the reasons we do the things we do.
The author tells the story of the murder of a photographer by his artist wife, who then refuses to speak a word. It is complex, and messy. But it is also the story of how we are all crazy in some way, and must come terms with it. The story begins with not with the murderer but her therapist, and I like this approach. It sets the tone as one of reflection, instead of being clinical or moralizing. It also hints that the story has more than one layer. At the beginning the artist speaks of how, before the murder, her inspiration wanes. As a writer, there is nothing more terrifying than having the constant fountain of words dry up. To be unable to express the things that fill you up. I have experienced this and it is a kind of madness. But can lack of creativity make you kill? In The Silent Patient we, the reader, hope to find out.
If you are a creative person who has struggled with the spectre of mental illness, or have a close friend or relative in that situation, this book is for you. It's more than a study in why someone kills. It's a journey into a broken landscape that we all have traveled at one time, the reasons we do the things we do.