The Silent Patient

“Only she knows what happened. Only I can make her speak.” These words were enough to draw my attention to this book. When I got my hands on it, I didn’t have many expectations. Given the hype, I kept myself grounded because I didn’t want to be let down. I was not very invested in the beginning but after some time it was hard to keep the book aside. It was an amazing experience reading this book. “The Silent Patient” is masterfully written, and I have to say I’m not disappointed. It was thrilling, mind-boggling, and pretty intense, to be honest. I lived through the book, and it left me in awe in the end. Alicia Berenson the woman who murdered her husband and went silent after that, was taken to a mental hospital afterwards. No one could make her talk and with the time people lost interest in her. She was invisible in the hospital. Until one day Theo Faber joined the hospital as a Psychotherapist, who becomes obsessed with Alicia’s silence trying to uncover the truth behind the mystery. As much as he delves into Alicia’s life and uncovers many hidden aspects, he finds himself trapped in the web of obsession and Unexpected twists. Alex Michaelides has crafted this book. He weaved the story very neatly with precision and quality. It was an absolute page-turner that kept me hanging in there, thinking “Okay what’s next now”. The writing is sharp and compelling, it has great depth and it is very intriguing Which kept me hooked until the last page. The definition of unexpected twist I have to say. I was particularly drawn to the book’s dual narrative. Despite the alternating perspectives between Alicia’s diary and Theo’s narration, the continuity of the story was effectively maintained. This contributed to a consistent sense of suspense and tension throughout the book. It was written very meticulously. I loved how it explores the themes of trauma, trust and obsession. And also how it deeply explored art, Psychology and the human psyche. Overall it was a thought-provoking and gripping story that kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s a must-read for people who love psychological thrillers and love a well-written twisty tale.

🤫😷The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides:- 🤫😷BOOK REVIEW:- THIS BOOK OMG! the plot twist was so smooth in its transition and I was left like 😧😮😵😵‍💫 The Silent Patient is a thriller that is really amazing and can be read by thriller fanatics as well as beginners alike. I love the book's pacing and plot omg! Each page is a twist and the psychological and introspective aspect was like I was reading a case study honestly! THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT I would have so much fun!! Anyway, I think you'll absolutely love this book, especially if you are a thriller fan! 🤫😷 BOOK DESCRIPTION:- Alicia Berenson lived a seemingly perfect life until one day six years ago.When she shot her husband in the head five times. Since then she hasn't spoken a single word.It's time to find out why. (That is literally all you need to know, dive right into it!)

I just completed this and I donno what to say I'm out of words. I feel like the last page/pages have been ripped from the copy I was reading.Is it? My copy ended with Theo catching the snowflake. Is that how the book really ended?!! To those who wonder what is this book and what is this book is about, I guess almost everyone around here have read this, this being the most sensational book and everyone was recommending or talking/talked about it, I now get what the whole fuss the book is about. There are two main people in this story, Alicia Berenson and Theo Faber. Alicia, a famous artist hasn't spoken a single word after she shot her husband five times in the head. She is proven guilty and now is in mental institution. Theo Faber, a psychotherapist joins the same institution with the main intention of helping Alicia to make her speak. This is the storyline and we may have some questions like why did Alicia shot her husband, why Theo want to help Alicia. I even had tye doubt whether she was the one who really shot her husband and much more. This book was a complete psychological thriller and as a result of reading many psycho thrillers, I kinda guessed the non- linear timeline going on which is the main factor for the book to make it as a page-turner. Not only that, even in the same timeline the book was going interesting without lagging anywhere, literally there were no lagging at all. And the plot was in a steady pace along with giving us the thriller vibes. I totally loved the writing, the author has maintained a correct pace without bragging much, without spoiling the thrill. With all these things, it made a quite good, psychological thriller. For every crime, every psychic actions, I believe there would be some starting point, something that get triggered, someone to blame with, but in this I couldn't find one. I am astonished that how some action of others affect ye in the deepest manner that no one ever imagine. Also, I get it that each and every moment and second in our life play crucial part in moulding us who we were, are and would be. As a fan of psychological thrillers, this book will always tops and remain my favorite!

📖 The Silent Patient — Review by Kuma How should I even explain it? This book made my night sleepless — in a good way. Excited is the only word I’ve got for it. From start to finish, it’s a complete rollercoaster of emotions. With Alicia sitting there silently, and Theo trying to uncover her truth, I kept asking myself — who really is the villain here? And just when I thought I had it figured out, the story turned everything upside down. That twist was pure brilliance. The pacing and screenplay-like narration are the strongest parts. Every scene fits perfectly, with zero flaws. This was my very first thriller, and I never imagined I’d love this genre so much. I ended up buying loads of books because of this one! Rating: 9.5/10 — Excellent. A must-read for all mystery and thriller fans.

"Perhaps some of us are born evil, and despite our best efforts we remain that way" - The Silent Patient, Alex Michelides About the book: Promising to be the debut novel of the season. The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman's act of violence against her husband - and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive... 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: The perfect catch of the book is in starting itself to reveal the heinous crime done by protagonist Alicia Berenson. It was clear to the investigating team that Alicia was the accused and the gripping theme of the book is that she does not speak. That becomes the mere mystery. It was made out from her silence that there was more to the story and behind the murder of his husband Gabrial. The story narrated by Theo Faber is really hooking. I enjoyed the history of Theo Faber and his motivation to become Psychotherapist. A genuine lover. Any girl would long for. He is another protagonist of the book. His efforts to save Alicia and make her talk is the main thriller of the book because that reveals the line sequence of Alicia's life before killing her husband. I read such an intriguing book after a long time. This reminded me of "The girl on the train" Overall, I loved the writing style of the book, The sequence of incidents mentioned. The characters of the book are all independent, determined and tough. To take the situation under control no matter the consequences. All the characters were really provoking in the sense of living up to the things we ever wanted. This book is excellent from an entertainment point of view, heavy to handle because it has heart-breaks and also concludes how to be like Theo. Even after having a difficult childhood, Theo gets out so strong with the help of Ruth and also manages to save his married life. I really really loved Theo. A lot!!! Apart from the sudden twist in the story, my part love for this book exists because of the quotes and psychological way of writing it. Book rating- 5/5 for the love of Theo!!!

***MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*** The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides was the first of the many that brought me into the world of crime, murder mysteries especially. A psychological thriller, a classic whydunnit I’d call it. Although I am not a huge fan of books that screw my mind (I believe that I have just a tiny bit of my mind left handling a toddler and I’d rather save it) this book came with rave reviews and I made an exception, just to break out of my comfort zone. I was highly skeptical, you know. I had stopped picking up books on impulse since I realized my time is precious (toddler again) and I will get only so much time to read (read give up my sleep and read) So I better make choices that I wouldn’t regret. So, did I? I wouldn’t say this review would be an entirely positive one, but it will have those points as well which I thought gives less credibility to this otherwise super debut novel. Psychotherapist Theo Faber takes up a job, or better say worms his way in, at The Grove, a facility for dangerous convicts. Why leave his comfortable job elsewhere and come to the sinking ship that this institution is? The reason is the artist, Alicia Berenson. A high profile resident convict of The Grove who has been convicted in an open-and-shut case of murdering her husband, 5 bullets in the man and she, in behind the bars. What’s so strange about the case that brings Theo to her after 6 years of the crime is that she hasn’t spoken a word since, either in her defense or against it. Theo believes he would be able to break the walls that Alicia has built around herself and get the truth out of her mouth, whatever that may be. With Theo now treating Alicia in the hopes of a breakthrough, what proceeds gives a new perspective to the entire case. Emotions are expressed and behavioral changes are presented by Alicia in a manner that no one could believe. As Theo digs deeper into the past, he realizes the truth is much deeply embedded than just the day of the crime which Alicia has committed. Written in parts, the story is told from the POV of both Theo and Alicia. While Alicia keeps a diary, Theo’s parts are more conversational, he and his wife and he and Alicia. Frankly, the chapters with his wife bored me to death and I considered putting the books down several times wondering what the hell, why is the wife in the midst of all this when apparently she doesn’t have anything of value to add to the book except several extra pages of inconsequential matter? But what I didn’t know, pardon me, I am a novice in thriller/crime, was that in a genre like this, nothing is neglected. What is written must be relevant somehow, somewhere. The complexity of Michaelides’ story is revealed only at the end, the sheer amount of work that must have gone into building the characters and then laying them bare for the reader by delving deep into their psyches is enthralling. The gradual release of Alicia’s miseries is mirrored by that of Theo’s. Both the primary characters have dark secrets to guard, and it is in the company of each other that they open up and let the reader in. From what I know about psychological thrillers, they are usually the playground for the author where the reader is just a spectator. Both the teams are the author himself, he kicks, he saves; he hits, he catches; what he shows is what we see most of the time. Unless we are someone belonging to the super reader category and able to read between the lines or guess accurately, it is highly unlikely that we will be able to see through the author’s fib. In this book, the author resorts to the same method as mentioned above, masking facts only to reveal them later and leave the reader on her knees with the carpet-pull effect. I am not saying I disliked the book, in fact, I liked it so much that I dived headfirst into the genre, but it does have its misgivings, the foremost being Theo’s desperate attempt at silencing Alicia. Even if she would have spoken, who would have believed a convicted murderer who hasn’t spoken for 6 years and is considered almost senile? There are a few other tidbits that put me off, like Theo’s relationship with his wife, his eagerness to treat Alicia, and most importantly, the misgivings about the timeline. Despite all of the above-mentioned irregularities, I enjoyed reading the book. I had a lot to take away from it. The issues around mental illness and its acceptance, or lack of it, by the patient and the ones around them even today, is heart-wrenching. What must be treated like any other disease, is left to fend for itself which often gives way to dire consequences. Of all the times, now is the most critical of all to acknowledge, understand, and lend an ear to those who suffer silently.

The Silent Patient is one of the most chilling thrillers I have read. A woman who shot her husband and refuses to speak. To add to the wonderful plot comes a psychiatrist with whom she has a connection. There were so many twists and turns that I could not guess the ending and was amazed when it came. Strongly recommended for lovers of psychological thrillers and five stars for me.

It was mind blowing though I guessed a plot twist . The story is fast paced and chapters are short and easy read. Felt the ending a bit abrupt. Over all a good story to read if you want to get out of a reading slump. If physiological thrillers are up your ally read this. But would suggest to check the trigger warnings before hand