The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer; she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
Review: Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the chance to work with Alicia Berenson. Alicia had a seemingly perfect life as a famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer. Until the day her husband returns home late from a fashion shoot and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then refuses to ever speak another word. Alicia's silence gives the crime added mystery and notoriety and she is hidden away at a private facility called in the Grove. When Theo begins working at the Grove, he will stop at nothing in his search to uncover the truth and try to force Alicia to bring her silence.
This is a dark psychological thriller full of unreliable narrators. I was suspicious of Theo and his description of Alicia's tale from the beginning, but I was equally suspicious of Alicia, who is volatile and often physically violent. Indeed, few of the characters seem trustworthy: the other patients at the Grove certainly aren't, nor are Theo's coworkers. Likewise, his wife is suspected of lying and cheating. As a reader, it certainly adds to the sense of mounting tension and suspicion.
This was a fast, propulsive read with an ending that I did not fully predict. I did like that final scene is left somewhat open ended. However, I did think the great plot twist seemed a bit farfetched. Additionally, I had my suspicions over who was the most trustworthy character of all from the very beginning and they did indeed prove correct. Additionally, like others, I would have liked to have seen more about Theo's wife or even read chapters from her perspective. Her story is a major subplot in this novel and her perspective would have been interesting to hear.
Stars: 3.5
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