The Silent Patient, Is it worth the hype?

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a psychological thriller, that in my opinion, did not live up to the hype. I should start by clarifying that I didn’t think this book was terrible. If I had to rate it though, I would give it a meager 3 stars.

Why? It could be the fact that I’ve read more psychological thriller novels than I can count, but to me, this book was predictable. I’m the type of reader that likes to make sure the puzzle pieces are fitting together throughout the book -this book, just didn’t allow that to happen. I found myself turning back to previous chapters and asking myself, “Wait, what??” And not in a good, shocking way. In a way where it just didn’t make sense. I don’t want to give you any spoilers, so if your interest has piqued, you’ll just have to pick it up yourself.

So what’s it all about?

The silent patient is based on a woman, Alicia Berenson. She was a wealthy artist who was seemingly happily married to photographer husband, Gabriel. One night, upon returning home late from a photo shoot, Alicia ties up and shoots Gabriel five times. She then refuses to speak a word. To anyone. For six years. The murder itself is a tragedy, but the fact that Alicia won’t say a word makes it one of the biggest mysteries around. The tabloids love this scandal-so much that if you live in London, you know of the silent patient.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychoanalyst who recently took a position at the Grove, a forensic unit where Alicia Berenson is silently residing. As a psychoanalyst, Theo has seen his own dark days, convinced that pyschotherapy has saved his life from becoming exactly what Alicia’s has-institutionalized.

“We’re all crazy, I believe, Just in different ways”

The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides

Because of this and his belief that him and Alicia are similiar, Theo is convinced he can be the one to make Alicia talk, to help her the way he needed help all those years prior. This is what drives him to get a job at the Grove- to get close enough to Alicia so he can fix her. But will his need to try to fix her consume his life?

What I thought about it.

Michaelides sends you in a whirlwind of a psychological thriller that has you on the edge of your seat…until about two thirds into the book. That’s when the lightbulb goes off, and the rest of the book unravels faster than a spool of yarn. The author’s writing style was unique and creative. Although, I don’t believe the story was executed in a way that kept you guessing to the very last page. The predictability of the story is was killed it.

Bottom line

It just wasn’t for me. This book had the potential to be great. In fact, most people thought it was. The Silent Patient won the 2019 Goodreads choice award for best mystery/thriller (See the rest of the winners here: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2019). However, I honestly, just don’t get it. Was it a terrible book? No, absolutely not. In fact, if you wanted to borrow it off my shelf, I’d be more than happy to lend it to you rather than sway you to a better choice. I may (definitely) be the odd ball out on this one, but if I were to pick one book to recommend to everyone I knew, this would not be it.

Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars

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