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Loading... The Silent Patient (edition 2019)by Alex Michaelides
Work InformationThe Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
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Books Read in 2019 (14) Books Read in 2021 (38) Top Five Books of 2018 (252) » 10 more Books Read in 2024 (1,779) Books Read in 2023 (4,235) Best Crime Fiction (223) SHOULD Read Books! (119) First Novels (151) To Read (616) To Read (6) Booktok Books (20) No current Talk conversations about this book. ![]() ![]() "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides is a life-pausing psychological thriller that captivated me from the very first page. I couldn't put it down with its cleverly crafted plot unfolding with precision, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. The main character, Alicia Berenson, and her eerie silence add an air of mystery that only deepens as the story progresses. Michaelides wove a tangled web of secrets, lies, and unexpected twists, leading to a jaw-dropping and utterly satisfying conclusion. The writing is both evocative and immersive, making it a gripping and memorable reading experience. I highly recommend this book for fans of gripping mysteries and psychological suspense. Finished reading this book in one night, I love when a book manages to be so interesting that I don't want to put it down because I need to know what happens. It doesn't happen super often but it happened with this as I'm finishing it at 4am and typing this review while my thoughts are fresh. Honestly, the fact I knew this book had a plot twist made it a little less obvious to me what it actually was. I was like, surely it’s not going to be this, what about this or that and I made up my own little narrative within the story that made sense (spoiler: it was NOT the actual twist). It was fun to read and try to come up with theories but I feel like the ending fell flat for me… Mostly because I want to know what happens AFTER. But only like, a brief paragraph on how things went down, not a full second book as I do think narratively the story was over at that point. Compelling and engrossing - I like the two storylines that are intertwined skillfully. The continuous instances of the second one made me want to understand how they are connected - they had to be. Theo's escalating emotion and the fact that he didn't confront his wife made me realize what was happening, but wondering if he'd get away with it kept me going.
Meet the hottest-tipped debut novelists of 2019 The Silent Patient is narrated by Theo Faber, a psychotherapist determined to discover why Alicia Berenson, a famous artist accused of murdering her husband, has refused to speak since her husband’s death. The therapeutic setting was inspired by Michaelides’s own experience. “Therapy is very important to me and has been a major part of my life,” he says. Running through the novel is the Greek myth of Alcestis, and Euripides’s play of the same name. The Alcestis theme is perhaps one of the reasons that The Silent Patient is finding such traction both among early readers and the tranche of movie executives who fought to option it. With its story of female sacrifice and the silencing of a woman post-trauma, it feels highly relevant in a post #MeToo world. “It’s about silence as a weapon,” Michaelides says. “And it was very clear in my head when I was writing the book that Alicia was surrounded by these men who were imprisoning her. Like Alcestis, Alicia is trapped and she’s denied a voice. It’s a lifetime of being made to think that she wasn’t worthy, she wasn’t good enough, and maybe that’s something that a lot of women [readers] have been responding to.” The novel has already been optioned by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, with Michaelides due to write the screenplay, a fitting circularity for a novelist who has spent the past 15 years working as a screenwriter. AwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
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 spotlight of the tabloids 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 search for the truth leads him down a terrifying path and threatens to consume him. No library descriptions found.
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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