I wasn’t keen on The Silent Patient. To be fair, this is partly because I don’t normally get on with psychological thrillers, but the blurb led me to expect a rather more subtle, insightful book than usual in the genre. I didn’t get it.

The set-up is well explained in the blurb: Theo Faber is a psychotherapist who becomes obsessed with treating/helping a woman who has not spoken for the six years since she was convicted of killing her husband. There follows an unconvincing plot with, inevitably A Huge Twist which, as is so often the case, means sacrificing any credibility of plot or character just to try to make the revelation a surprise to the reader. Combined with a lot of glib psychotherapyspeak I’m afraid it just made me cross. Add to this a faintly irritating writing style which on occasion isn’t afraid of being both unrealistic and using a clunking cliché at the same time (“I became resolved to stop at nothing until Alicia became my patient”) and has a habit of ending chapters with that Punchy Sentence technique, like “I wondered why Christian was so positive I would fail. But it made me even more determined to succeed.” which I began to wait for like the next drop in the Water Torture. I was, frankly, glad to get to the end.

Fans of the psychological thriller have plainly enjoyed this far more than I did, but personally I can’t recommend it.

(My thanks to Orion for an ARC via NetGalley.)

This is a brilliantly clever and different type of murder mystery. The questions as to why she murdered her husband and why she won’t speak remain unanswered until the very end. An exceptional debut novel and Alex Michaelides has set himself a very high bar for the future.

I thought this was a thoroughly good read, but has a shockingly good ending. You wonder why Theo is so spellbound by the silent patient, but assume (or are led) to believe it is due to the circumstances of her committal. Wow.

The Silent Patient WOW WOW WOW . A Physiological thriller at it’s best , I have no doubt this will be a best seller of the year, Page 1 had me wanting more and I raced through this in just 24hours which is testament to how good this book is . Alicia is a successful artist with an up coming exhibition, Gabriel her husband is a renowned photographer who dotes on her , they are living the perfect life. Until one day he arrives home after a shoot and is shot 5 times at close range in the face by The love of his life Alicia and from then on she doesn’t utter a single word . She is admitted to The Grove a psychiatric Hospital as an inpatient following trial , where she remains mute and a lost hope. We meet Theo a psychotherapist t who takes a job at the grove and thinks he can help Alicia find her voice and find out what happened, the story is told by both Theo and Alicia and through her diary , can Theo help Alicia ? What actually happened that night ? Why doesn’t she talk . I won’t tell you happens or what we find out but I will say OMG THE ENDING!!!! .
Thanks to @Alexmichealides @orionbooks @netgalley for the Arc
#thesilentpatient

The book begins with an excerpt from Alicia’s diary dated approximately 2 months before her husband’s murder and leads directly into PART ONE, in which we are introduced to Theo Faber, psychotherapist. The book is told from his perspective, and he uses his introductory pages to speak directly to us (as evidenced above). This felt like a very natural way to ease us into Michaelides’ world, and though the narrator directly addresses the reader, it did not feel forced.

Coincidentally, it’s exactly this transition from the character simply relaying a story to talking to us as readers that didn’t work for me later in the book: it occurs once more in the closing chapters, and I felt that it really took me out of the story in a very jarring way. That’s probably because I had literally forgotten up until that point that Theo had spoken to me before. I had been so wrapped up in Alicia and the plot that the narration change had slipped to the back of my mind until I was forced to confront it again. This is the only thing in this book that didn’t work for me. Three sentences on a page.

I was taking guesses literally ALL. THE. TIME. and I had no idea where the story was leading me. I thought, at one point, “oh dang, wouldn’t it be BANANAS if…” and even that was wrong. The actual twist was so immensely satisfying. It was a surprise, but like… a surprise that you knew deep in your soul all along. When it was revealed, I felt it flow through me and it was perfect. I actually, very quietly, exclaimed, “ahhh yesssss,” when I read it.

If you dig psychological thrillers that lead you gently on a journey into the unknown, you need to pick this up when it comes out in February. You will not regret it.

I really enjoyed this. So cleverly written, I was gripped from the start. The premise is intriguing and the first person narrative draws you in and makes you root for the protagonist. However it's clear that something just doesn't add up, and this builds up to a fantastic denouement at the end. I'd definitely recommend this book. #NetGalley #TheSilentPatient

I can already tell: The Silent Patient is going to be one of the big books of 2019 - and in this case the hype is well deserved.

The book follows Theo Faber, a psychotherapist obsessed with the case of Alicia Berenson, an artist who killed her husband apparently without a motive, and hadn't said a word ever since. Determined to uncover the truth, Theo applies for a job at the Grove, the forensic unit where Alicia is treated. Will he succeed in making Alicia talk?

For the most part, I was really enjoying the book. The plot was a little slow moving at times, but I was still engrossed in the story and curious to see what was behind Alicia's silence. Then the big twist happened and OMG! I didn't see it coming at all. It's one of the most clever twist I've read in a long while. It is not entirely original, but it's played masterfully. The author leaves little clues without you really noticing them, and once the reveal happens, you are just blown away.

Apart from the big twist, about which I won't say more to avoid spoilers, I think the whole mystery was very well written. Theo had a distinct and fascinating voice, and his obsession with Alicia was very involving: right from the beginning the reader is engrossed in the mystery of why Alicia killed her husband, and why she stopped talking. The addition of Alicia's latest painting, the Alcestis, a reference to the Greek tragedy, and its true meaning was also terribly clever.

I also enjoyed the fact that psychoterapy was a central theme in the book. There were several passages which analyzed how childhood traumas affect people, and how personalities are shaped according to important events in one's life. I've always liked this subject, and it was included in the story really well.

A clever thriller, well worth a read. I can't wait to see what Alex Michaelides writes next!

This book is very different from anything else I have ever read. It is a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is very well written and smoothly carries you along, until there is an "Oh goodness" moment towards the end that I was not expecting. Brilliant book, loved it.

Superb read, following Theo as he makes it his quest to help an infamous patient regain her speech. The reader follows his progress with Alicia and learns exactly what happened. Not at all what one was expecting!!!! Great to read such an innovative novel.

Alicia Berenson worships her husband Gabriel, so why does she shoot him five times one evening for no apparent reason? From then on she never speaks another word. She is sent to a hospital for the criminally insane,
Forensic psychotherapist Theo is convinced he can get Alicia to speak where all others have failed.

Theo is obsessed with Alicia from the start and, as the story unfolds, we begin to understand how deep his obsession really is.

A really good story with an unexpected twist at the end. There is a sense throughout that Theo is perhaps as disturbed as his patients, if not more so. But it is only with the final twist that we realise how unhinged he really is.

A really well written story with great character development and not at all predictable. I would recommend this book.

Superbly suspenseful. A electively mute murderer living in a secure unit is an excellent and unusual premise for a plot. I loved finding out the truth as delivered by the psychotherapist and the diaries written by Alicia. Brilliant.

I read this book in one sitting while struggling with a bad cold. It makes me want to write about it in superlatives - riveting, absorbing, mindblowing - but I'll stick with it being an engrossing read. It all comes down to who is madder the patient or the doctor?

One of the first things the author does is to tell you that there's a twist in the story. In fact there are several. Some I guessed, but the big ones - no.

Loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters really got under your skin, and never predicted the ending, Read this in a couple days. Would recommend.

I was unsure of this book at the start but it certainly grew on me. The story got more interesting as Theo the psychotherapist started working in The Grange. A couple of times I thought I knew what had happened, only to be proved wrong! There is a great twist in this story that I genuinely didn’t see coming.
I would recommend this book.

I read this in a matter of hours, it was gripping. The twist was totally unexpected and a real WOAH! moment. Fantastic book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I have heard good things about The Silent Patient, so I had to read it myself. This is one of them Psychological thrillers that you think you know what’s going to happen at the end, to be completely surprised with the twist at the end.
Alicia Berenson is found, covered in blood and standing over the dead body of her husband Gabriel. She is convicted for his murder. She is sent to ‘The Grove’ a High security mental facility. She hasn’t spoken since and withdrawn into herself. When Theo Faber a psychotherapist starts a job at The Grove and is assigned to Alicia to get her talking about what happened that night. He goes beyond the call of duty by delving into Alicia’s past. Seeking out members of her family and also the people she works with. Alicia a painter by trade. But, he stirs up things between them, Alicia is not liked by parts of her family and after the death of her father, her family and friends still thinks she is guilty when Alicia’s diary is found.
This is a great psychological thriller, that you will not want to put down. This is engaging and intense that will keep you guessing and guessing. I loved the twist at the end.
Thanks NetGalley and the Orion for a copy of this book

The story is told from the point of view of Theo, a psychotherapist, He has taken a job at The Grove due to his fascination with a patient, Alicia Berenson, who has refused to speak since killing her husband. As Theo describes his therapy sessions, we also find out about his past, his need for therapy in the past and his marriage. This is interspersed with extracts from Alicia’s diary. The character of Theo is well described and there is a disturbed feeling running through the novel - you know something is going to go wrong, What did happen came as a real surprise to me but slotted in well with everything that had happened so far,

This was a very good psychological thriller which has left me pondering.

#TheSilentPatient #NetGalley This was certainly an interesting read with a twist at the end that I definitely didn't see coming! A bit of a slow start but picked up pace later in the book. This book was a nice change from my usual favourite genre of police thrillers. Although I enjoyed the story, I found that I couldn't really relate to any of the characters and in particular Theo who was the main storyteller so that did spoil it a little for me. But with the twisty ending it was definitely worth reading.

Alicia, a renowned and talented artist, has shot her husband, a well known fashion photographer, five times in the face, and not uttered a word since. Not a word throughout her arrest or her trial where she was sentenced to a psychiatric facility. Theo is a psychotherapist intent on helping Alicia and being the one that gets her to talk. Heavily medicated, Alicia is still not talking.

Chapters slowly reveal Alicia's state of mind in the days leading up to the murder and also chapters letting us get to know Theo better and what is going on in his life. Theo, intent on getting Alicia to talk, investigates her life and the murder itself more thoroughly, interested in finding out what really happened.

This is an excellent read, tense and unpredictable, you really don't know where the story is going next. I was on tenterhooks chapter after chapter when ultimately the explosive ending has left me with a huge book hangover that I'm still thinking about 24 hours after finishing it. Loved it.

Wow - what a great read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in a couple of days, which is very quick for me. I definitely didn't see the twist coming and it blew me away - I loved it - one of the best books I have read this year - highly recommended.