You Won't Know What's Happening Until the Author Tells You What's Happening!
HUH? What? Seriously?! Oh no, no, no!
Wow! This book goes in one direction until the very last few pages and BOOM, the twist is revealed and you have to read the last 7 or 8 paragraphs to make sure you read it right.
I didn't see it coming. Let me explain. I got the audio CD from the library and only listened sporadically in my car. I was half way through when I had to return it to the library. I decided based on the precision in the story, I needed greater focus and waited for the hard copy another 2 months. However, having numerous books in progress already it was about 3 months later, that I actually read it. Initially, I scanned the beginning chapter (big mistake). Just sayin', I missed a big clue, and if I had been more focused, I may have had some inclination about the ending. So, I recommend you don't skim.
Theo is a therapist, who is a bit obsessed with a silent patient in the mental hospital where he works. Alicia has been found guilty of murdering her husband. She hasn't talked since the police arrived shortly after the murder. A neighbor had reported gun shots. Theo thinks there is more to the story than what the police reports stated during the trial. He longs to help her recover but to do so, there must be dialogue.
Theo becomes obsessed. He consistently ignores boundaries and patient confidentiality by interviewing those closest to Alicia, prior to the murder of her husband, Gabriel. His discoveries create a very troubling picture of Alicia's life from a young age. Where these past
events connected to her attack on Gabriel?
Theo's life has some surprising parallels around the same age. His empathy increases toward Alicia. Additionally, Theo appears to be using Alicia's pain as a means to redirect him from focusing on his own crumbling marriage. He once loved his wife, Kathy with extreme passion. She was everything to him. When he discovers her affair, he hopes that it will loose its luster and she will emotionally reconnect with him. As time passes, he feels the failure and Alicia's troubles let him feel connected, capable and powerful.
This is a very fast read. Though the main characters are slowly revealed, their pathology is complex. We feel empathy toward them but Alicia is not someone you would seek out as a bestfriend. Other characters are quite like the people, we encounter everyday. They are curious and annoying. Some you would like to get to know better and others, you simply wish that they didn't know your name. While others, you wonder about their agenda...
Michaelides is a fabulous writer, his dialogue is believable and relevant. He sets the scene without being overly descriptive, nearly sparse. In essence, he paces your interest. You get just enough to keep you searching for the next exquisite detail! He has been successful in Hollywood and there is little doubt he has already selected a cast for this story when it hits the "Big Screens".
Read it. Savor it. Be shocked by it.
Wow! This book goes in one direction until the very last few pages and BOOM, the twist is revealed and you have to read the last 7 or 8 paragraphs to make sure you read it right.
I didn't see it coming. Let me explain. I got the audio CD from the library and only listened sporadically in my car. I was half way through when I had to return it to the library. I decided based on the precision in the story, I needed greater focus and waited for the hard copy another 2 months. However, having numerous books in progress already it was about 3 months later, that I actually read it. Initially, I scanned the beginning chapter (big mistake). Just sayin', I missed a big clue, and if I had been more focused, I may have had some inclination about the ending. So, I recommend you don't skim.
Theo is a therapist, who is a bit obsessed with a silent patient in the mental hospital where he works. Alicia has been found guilty of murdering her husband. She hasn't talked since the police arrived shortly after the murder. A neighbor had reported gun shots. Theo thinks there is more to the story than what the police reports stated during the trial. He longs to help her recover but to do so, there must be dialogue.
Theo becomes obsessed. He consistently ignores boundaries and patient confidentiality by interviewing those closest to Alicia, prior to the murder of her husband, Gabriel. His discoveries create a very troubling picture of Alicia's life from a young age. Where these past
events connected to her attack on Gabriel?
Theo's life has some surprising parallels around the same age. His empathy increases toward Alicia. Additionally, Theo appears to be using Alicia's pain as a means to redirect him from focusing on his own crumbling marriage. He once loved his wife, Kathy with extreme passion. She was everything to him. When he discovers her affair, he hopes that it will loose its luster and she will emotionally reconnect with him. As time passes, he feels the failure and Alicia's troubles let him feel connected, capable and powerful.
This is a very fast read. Though the main characters are slowly revealed, their pathology is complex. We feel empathy toward them but Alicia is not someone you would seek out as a bestfriend. Other characters are quite like the people, we encounter everyday. They are curious and annoying. Some you would like to get to know better and others, you simply wish that they didn't know your name. While others, you wonder about their agenda...
Michaelides is a fabulous writer, his dialogue is believable and relevant. He sets the scene without being overly descriptive, nearly sparse. In essence, he paces your interest. You get just enough to keep you searching for the next exquisite detail! He has been successful in Hollywood and there is little doubt he has already selected a cast for this story when it hits the "Big Screens".
Read it. Savor it. Be shocked by it.