Thanks to NetGalley and to Orion for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
Being a doctor (although I’d always had the same interest, even before studying Medicine), I’m always intrigued by books with the word “patient” (or doctor, hospital, or similar healthcare-related terms) in the title. Being a psychiatrist and having worked in forensic psychiatry in the UK, the description of this book seemed right up my alley. (And yes, in case you’re curious, I have treated patients who presented as temporarily mute, more than once, although not in circumstances quite as shocking as those in the book). So I requested this book and it went into my very long list of books to read and review. Then, I started seeing great reviews, recommendations, etc., and grew curious, to the point where it jumped up to the top of my list.
Now, it’s quite difficult to review this book without revealing any spoilers, and this is a book where the twists in the plot are quite important, so I won’t be able to say much, as I’m sure many people will enjoy it and I don’t want to ruin it for them.
What can I tell you? What did I think? Well, I know this is a work of fiction, rather than a treatise in psychiatry or psychotherapy. (Theo Farber, one of the main characters, is a psychotherapist, a psychologist by training, not a medical doctor and, let’s say, he is not too enamoured with psychiatrists, anyway). But still, having work experience in high secure units in the UK, and also in low and medium secure units, both NHS and private, I couldn’t help but find so many things wrong with the characterisation of the professionals involved in the care of the other main character, Alice Berenson —the silent patient of the title— and also with the procedures followed and the way the unit is run, that it shattered my suspension of disbelief and made the rest of the book difficult to judge in its own right, for me. Despite the great reviews the book has had, I’ve noticed some other people have also had issues with the characterization of the therapist and with other details of the novel, so if you are somebody who likes mysteries and thrillers to be realistic and tight when it comes to details, I’d say you should give it a miss.
The actual mystery side of the story… Well, as I said there are twists, more than one, red herrings, and some people have described it as original. Others, not so much. How well the twists work depends on how much you engage not only with the story, but also with the main characters. The story is narrated from two points-of-view, both in the first person, one the therapist’s, and one the patient’s, although, as must be evident from the title, the patient mostly does not talk, and what we get are entries from her diary, the diary she wrote before the events that landed her in the psychiatric unit. I like unreliable narrators, and they can work very well for mysteries, indeed. Here we have two. If Alice might be seen as an unreliable narrator due to her mental state, Theo seems to be very good at not applying his therapeutic insights (such as they are, but I’ve already said my piece on that and won’t insist) to himself and his own situation. But, I’m sure you won’t be surprised if I tell you that things are not quite as straightforward as they seem, even if you suspect they are far from straightforward.
My inkling is that people who don’t read tonnes of thrillers or mysteries are likely to enjoy this book more than people who mostly read thrillers and are used to smelling a rat from afar. When I read the negative reviews I saw that some readers felt cheated by the twist (and yes, I understand that point of view, although, as I said, I had other issues with the book); there were complains about not liking any of the characters (other than the two main characters, none of the rest are drawn in much detail, I agree); some readers found the descriptions of therapies and the use of psychotherapeutic terms over the top (too much telling and not enough showing, and some complained they slowed the action); some reviewers objected to the use of swear-words (as this was mostly by one of the patients, from personal experience I’d say that bit is not unrealistic); and also some comments about a somewhat prejudiced depiction of a couple of characters (the Greek professor running the clinic comes out of it much better than the Turkish patient, it’s true). I mention those as a warning for people who are thinking about reading it and the concerns might resonate with them.
After reading the whole book, and with the caveats I’ve mentioned, personally, I was intrigued by the reference to a play by Euripides I hadn’t heard about, Alcestis, and I want to explore it further. I also enjoyed the references to Alice’s paintings and her creative process.
If you aren’t familiar with psychiatric care (particularly forensic psychiatric care in the UK), don’t regularly read tonnes of mysteries, and prefer books with enticing plots rather than those focused on a strong and psychologically consistent depiction of, you are likely to enjoy this book. Otherwise, my recommendation would be to check a sample of the book and see if it hooks you and you feel compelled to keep reading.

When an artist kills her husband in a seeming fit of madness, she gains notoriety but never speaks again. The case attracts the attention of psychotherapist Theo Faber, whose fascination with her case deepens even as his marriage seemingly crumbles. He turns detective, determined to understand the motives behind his patient’s actions, revealing the seeming parallels between them.

Yet his patient finds her voice. At first once more through her art, then her diary - and as her voice returns, the truth behind her paranoia is revealed in a deliciously dark twist.

I very much enjoyed this book, devouring in a day. I loved how the plot lines came together in the end and was surprised by the twist, which is always a good thing!

In The Silent Patient we hear the story of Alicia Berenson, an artist who loves her husband very much but one day shoots him five times and kills him. From that moment forward she doesn’t speak a word.

Fast forward a few years and Theo, a psychotherapist, begins working at the secure hospital where Alicia resides. He is aware of her case and set on helping her out of her silence and getting her to talk to him.

What follows is an intriguing story told partly from Theo’s point of view and partly via excerpts from Alicia’s diary. Well written, thought provoking and with a fantastic twist this is an enjoyable read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of #TheSilentPatient in return for an honest review.

A very cleverly plotted and well written story with believable characters. A nice twist at the end and I learned a bit of Greek myth that I was unfamiliar with.

I read this book while on holidays and got through it in two days. The author has a very unique writing voice and it took me a few pages to fall into step with it but once I did, I was hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and it's not often that a twist blindsided me, (especially when I'm expecting it) but this hit me squarely between the eyes. It was so clever, and very enjoyable. I loved the characterisation, and it really was impossible to put down. I know there's a lot of talk lately on social media about twist fatigue, but I love a good mindbending twist and I recommend this to all lovers of the psychological thriller genre.

I'm really glad I found this book - it was almost perfect for me! The narrator, Theo Faber, is a forensic psychotherapist, which is what I'm studying at uni starting this September! I will admit this possibly made the job out to be a lot more exciting and dramatic than it often is in reality, but pretty much every book on this topic does the same thing. It did include a fair amount of subject-specific terminology which I appreciated, but not so much that it was overwhelming or too much like a textbook.

I'm not going to discuss the plot much at all, as a) it's really quite confusing, and b) I don't want to ruin it at all for any potential readers. The bare bones of this is basically Theo working with Alicia Berenson, who was charged for the murder of her husband, but hasn't talked since the day of his death. It's almost a detective novel - Theo wants to find out what really happened, and why. At the same time, Theo has things going on in his personal life, and in his spare time he also follows 'leads' regarding Alicia's case - her friends, family. It becomes more than just therapy, for sure.

As expected, there are twists and shocking discoveries - but I really did not expect one of these in particular. I found it fantastic; not cheesy or predictable at all.

My only criticisms are a few typos - which may be due to my copy only being an ARC - as well as the fact that some aspects were perhaps a bit overly dramatic. Theo's actions at one point are really quite... drastic. Unbelievable, almost. But then, I suppose some people do handle things in similar ways.

4.5 stars for The Silent Patient.

Alicia is silent, an artist married to a well known photographer, she enjoys her life and is living comfortably until, that is, she shoots her husband 5 times and kills him, that's the moment she closes her mouth and decides not to talk anymore.

Theo Faber is a forensic psychotherapist who desperately wants to get Alicia to talk, he wants to know what happened and why, part of it is professional curiosity and the other part is to further his own career if he can be the one to get her to open up.

Told in present day and Alicia's diary enteries we follow the narrative of Theo as he tries to get Alicia to talk and Alicia's slow descent into, supposed, madness.

The side characters add a wonderful depth to the story, their experiences lay foundations to appreciate as we flow along and piece together all the clues as to what, exactly, is really happening.

I wasn't as engaged with the overall story as many others have been, I felt detached from it, I found Theo was judgmental, obsessive and arrogant, thinking only of himself and how 'unlocking' Alicia would be a boost to his career to the detriment of his family.

Alicia, a troubled woman, slowly allowing certain parts of herself to the open, little bits dropping as and when appropriate, kept me drawn into HER, if not much else.

It was an enjoyable read but not the best book I've read, I do read a hell of a lot of thrillers and mysteries so that could be why I didn't connect with it, worked out the twists quite early on finished the book because I do enjoy his writing. I look forward to reading more by Alex Michaelides as I'm sure his future novels are bound to keep me interested.

*Huge thanks to Alex Michaelides, Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

This was mind blowingly good. Great characters, really interesting story and the twist at the end was one of the best I have ever read. Definitely get yourself a copy!

Oh my there has been so much hype over this book and it did not disappoint. Usually when books are so hyped up, I read them with high expectations and I never seem to feel that the book has had the effect on me that others say it has had on them.

This is the exception to the rule.

I read this book in one sitting. The main character attempts to break the silence of a convicted killer and the author immediately drags you into the book wanting to explore the psychological traits of the character.

I absolutely loved this book.

A slow burning but compelling creepy thriller that builds to an ingenious twist. Artist Alicia shoots her husband dead and hasn't uttered a word since. Psychotherapist Theo, obsessed with the case wangles a job at the secure unit where she has been held for the last 5 years. Can he break through her silence? A brilliant debut.

This was an enthralling psychological thriller. with lots of red herrings. As I put the pieces of the jigsaw together I thought that it really couldn't be the conclusion I had come to but it was. I great story which illustrates the lifetime effects o a disastrous upbringing can have on the psyche of a child.

The Silent Patient is a fast moving and absorbing psychological thriller. A great read with an excellent twist.

Thought this book was great, really unsure where it was going and kept my curiosity up till the end. Massive twist did not see coming at all, well done loved it

A brilliant book - I consumed this, not only enthralled by the narrative voice, but by the compelling characters. I did not see where the plot was heading and was blindsided by the ending.

Great story that kept me interested. There were some good twists to keep it from being too easily figured out. It's the first book I've read by this author but I really enjoyed it.

Great page turner with some unexpected twists, began to piece it together as the book went along but it was well written and very engaging, would recommend...

Loved this book! Read it in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. The ending is brilliant, a must read for anyone who loves thrillers.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

ALICIA
Alicia Berenson writes a diary as a release, an outlet - and to prove to her beloved husband that everything is fine. She can't bear the thought of worrying Gabriel, or causing him pain. Until, late one evening, Alicia shoots Gabriel five times and then never speaks another word.
THEO
Forensic psychotherapist Theo Faver is convinced he can successfully treat Alicia, where all others have failed. Obsessed with investigating her crime, his discoveries suggest Alicia's silence goes far deeper than he first thought. And if she speaks, would he want to hear the truth?

Wow. What a debut! Alex Michaelides is certainly an author I'm gonna be looking out for. His writing immediately drew me in the very gripping story and I found myself desperate to find out what was gonna happen next. A definite page-turner! While the majority of the book is written from Theo's perspective, we also got little snippets from Alicia's diary, that kept her character developing at a steady pace, while her present self is silent. I didn't massively like Theo's character but Alex's terrific writing made me forget about that, instead focusing on the suspenseful story. While delving into the world of psychotherapy, while still keeping me at the edge of my seat, the whole book kept me interested and hooked on every single word.
With plenty of twists and turns, and a very unpredictable ending, I highly recommend this one! Can't wait for this author's next book!

Oh my goodness, this was AWESOME! One of those books that demands you read it in one sitting because it's so original. When people talk about unexpected twists, they're usually pretty predictable but this was so skilfully woven, there's a lot you won't see on first reading.

One of those rare books you'll want to reread to see what you missed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

The final outcome of the book is the reason for 5+ stars, truly extraordinary!

Alicia Berenson, an artist, is introduced into the mix of characters as a crazy monster convicted of killing her husband, Gabriel Berenson, a photographer.

The novel unfolds ‘step by step, slowly, cautiously' by introducing key characters brilliantly setting up a jigsaw puzzle that once is complete leaves you the reader utterly astounded and unprepared.

The next piece of the puzzle appears in the form of one of Alicia’s paintings of Alcestis, a heroine of Greek myth and a sad love story involving her husband, Admetus. Jean-Felix Martin owner of Soho Art Gallery exhibited Alicia’s macabre painting of Alcestis while Alicia was on trial for murdering her husband.

Professor Lazarus Diomides, director of The Grove a secure forensic psychiatric unit where Alicia ends up is next to be revealed. Each character is essential to take note of while reading. Once, Theo Faber, a forensic psychiatrist is introduced the plot gets intense. He is from a dysfunctional family dominated by hysteria, violence, threats and tears. Detailed descriptions of how an unlikely candidate as a psychiatrist he is - are very disturbing until Ruth his psychotherapists’ therapeutic interventions enable Theo to become functional in the forensic psychiatric profession.

Six years after the trial Theo joins Yuri, Stephanie and Christian (known to Theo) at The Grove where it becomes evident that Theo is desperate to treat Alicia and manipulates the situation so that he can.

The rest is up to you to enjoy, I cannot give any more away. Incredibly brilliant!

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.