The Silent Patient

by Alex Michaelides

Synospis(courtesy of Amazon):

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....

My Review:

Being a psychotherapist I was intrigued by the author’s knowledge of mental illness and the fact of how seriously screwed up some therapists are. Yes, it is true there are only a few therapists who actually embrace intuition when dealing with emotional energy fields associated with their patients. 

My rating for The Silent Patientis Four out of Five stars. Now, before anyone comes on a bit too harsh on my four stars, let me explain. This story, writing style and pace of the novel are awesome. The story was engaging and intelligent. A quick read because the writing style maintained reader engagement, however, and without providing spoilers in this review, the ending twist has a hole in it the size of the milky way galaxy, hence my four stars. If you’ve read this book and want to reach out to me personally I’ll be more than happy to explain the hole. 

~ PD Alleva

Sci-Fi/Horror/Dark Fiction Author