I've never read a thriller before (preferring fantasy or YA) so when my book club voted on The Silent Patient, I wasn't so sure. The description of the book sounded interesting enough, but I didn't think thrillers were my thing. Going into the novel, I'd only read a basic description.
The Silent Patient is about a woman named Alicia Berenson, a famous painter. One day she unexpectedly shoots her husband, Gabriel, five times in the face and then never speaks again. The story is told from the perspective of a man named Theo, who is her therapist, but also features excerpts from Alicia's diary. Of course the mystery of the novel is why Alicia Berenson killed her husband when, to all appearances, she seems to be a "normal" person who was in love with him.
Just from reading the prologue (and the description on the book jacket), I was hooked. The prologue features an excerpt from Alicia's diary where she writes, "I love Gabriel so much. He is without a doubt the love of my life. I love him so totally, completely, sometimes it threatens to overwhelm me." Immediately I wondered–if she loves him so much, why would she brutally murder him?!? The book kept my attention from the beginning and the twist at the end was clever but without being improbable. (I hate books that give away too much and also ones that have twists that just don't make sense.) This one does neither, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers or even someone who is looking to just branch out a bit like I was.
The Silent Patient is about a woman named Alicia Berenson, a famous painter. One day she unexpectedly shoots her husband, Gabriel, five times in the face and then never speaks again. The story is told from the perspective of a man named Theo, who is her therapist, but also features excerpts from Alicia's diary. Of course the mystery of the novel is why Alicia Berenson killed her husband when, to all appearances, she seems to be a "normal" person who was in love with him.
Just from reading the prologue (and the description on the book jacket), I was hooked. The prologue features an excerpt from Alicia's diary where she writes, "I love Gabriel so much. He is without a doubt the love of my life. I love him so totally, completely, sometimes it threatens to overwhelm me." Immediately I wondered–if she loves him so much, why would she brutally murder him?!? The book kept my attention from the beginning and the twist at the end was clever but without being improbable. (I hate books that give away too much and also ones that have twists that just don't make sense.) This one does neither, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers or even someone who is looking to just branch out a bit like I was.