The Silent Patient

Compulsive is one word you could use to describe The Silent Patient. It is highly addictive and it really takes you into the minds of its characters and explores their psychology. Alex Michaelides writing draws you into the story as the protagonist, Theo Faber, attempts to break the silence of convicted murderer, Alicia Berenson who has been rendered mute for six years and has spent that time in The Grove, a psychiatric unit. Theo has become obsessed with her case, but can he finally be the one to find out what really happened the night she shot her husband dead? When an opportunity arises to join The Grove as a psychiatrist he jumps at the chance, determined to reach out to Alicia. I really enjoyed reading this book and I couldn’t wait to find out if Theo was going to achieve his goal. I think the anticipation of wondering if this was going to be the moment that Alicia spoke is what made most parts of this book a really intense read and Alex controlled this really well, it did keep me turning those pages, and reading onto the next chapter. There is some excellent character development here; we have Theo, who is mysterious and unnerving, and Alicia who I wanted to get to the bottom of, and find out what was really going through her mind the night she killed her husband, Gabriel. Like Theo, I wanted to drag the answers out of her and I couldn’t wait to see what she finally had to say. Although we don’t hear from Alicia, we do have her diary extracts, which again I raced through as I was reading as I tried to uncover what really happened. This is very much a psychological story, and the reveals that came at the end of the book left me thinking, whoa, and I had to flick back just to see what it was that I had missed but it definitely did make so much sense and the way in which everything was pulled together was very good. The tension is really turned up a notch in the final chapters. The Silent Patient has bestseller written all over it. It’s tightly plotted and very well written. I’m looking forward to seeing what Alex Michaelides comes up with next. If you’re a fan of character-driven psychological thrillers, then you should definitely pick up this book.

The Silent Patient is an intense psychological thriller that keeps readers at the edge of their seats from beginning to end. Alex Michaelides has crafted an intriguing mystery with a gripping and fast-paced story, original concept, and satisfying conclusion. The narrative follows criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber as he attempts to uncover the motive for a mysterious murder. His patient, Alicia Berenson, has been convicted of shooting her husband and then lapsed into silence. As Theo digs deeper, he begins to realize that Alicia's past may hold the key to solving the crime. The Silent Patient is a thrilling journey that keeps readers guessing until the very end. Michaelides skillfully uses double bluffs and red herrings to keep readers guessing at each step, making this book an exciting read. However, there were one or two chapters that seemed to feel like filler and had little to do with the main plot. Overall, The Silent Patient is a fantastic thriller that is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. It is a fast-paced story that is filled with mystery and suspense. Michaelides has crafted an original and gripping narrative that is sure to leave readers satisfied with its gripping conclusion.

I enjoyed this book. The ending was a little predictable but the story line was good

Well, I know I'm very late in reading this book. Like many others, my wife read it last year and she was blown away by it and kept saying how much she loved it for quite a while. Now, finally, I decided to give it a go myself. I have to say that I'm intrigued by the author's second book, The Maidens, so I decided to read The Silent Patient before that one. In short, this book is about Alicia, a famous painter, accused of the cold-blooded murder of her husband who was a renowned photographer. The man was tied to his chair in his home and shot several times in the head. Did she kill her husband? Or not? If yes, why would she do it in such a barbaric way? The mystery deepens when Alicia falls silent and doesn't utter another word to anyone, ever. Is she doing so on purpose? Or is that the genuine result of the shock she suffered at her husband death? She ends up in a high-security mental institution and several attempts to dig deep into her psyche prove unsuccessful, until years later Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, comes along determined to make Alicia open up and tell it all. Will he succeed where everyone else has failed? Will Alicia tell Theo what happened that terrible night? This book is very well written and the characters and dialogue realistic. I have to say that from the beginning I felt very intrigued by the story and before long I found myself glued to this book. It was like peeling off the papery layers of an onion, one by one, each time coming that little bit closer to discovering the truth. This author certainly knows how to keep his readers entertained and interested. I felt excited and curious about what had really happened that night Alicia's husband ended up dead. Did she really kill him? Alicia and the famous painting she painted following her husband's murder are both shrouded in mystery. Is the truth there, visible and in plain sight for all to see in the painting? What is Alicia trying to say through her painting? Did Alicia purposefully place some clue there to tell us what happened through her art? I was very curious to see when or rather if Alicia would finally say something about what had happened and what that something would be. I truly enjoyed reading this book and couldn't wait for the ending to come to find out what had happened. I was all for giving this book 5 stars, until the famous 'twist' came along. From then on as far as I'm concerned, the plot went downhill. While I understand the author's intention of shocking or surprising the reader, I felt almost betrayed by him at that point after reading almost the entire book. It was an epic anticlimax for me, and that's why I ditched 2 stars from my rating. Having said all that, I still intend to read The Maidens, hoping the author doesn't ruin another good plot as in my opinion he did in The Silent Patient.

A fabulous compelling read with one massive twist towards the end! Hard to put down, it’s certainly a page turner with lots of twists and turns! But the big twist left me spellbound!!! It’s the first book I’ve read by Alex Michaelides and I’m certainly going to read more by him l can highly recommend this if you enjoy a good thriller.

Intriguing read with a good twist . Shame about the ending, I felt it seemed rather rushed. Overall enjoyable read

The book is very good , you just want to keep reading it. And the ending is not what I expected. Definitely worth a read

There are books that are so overhyped, and after reading them, I wonder why. Then there are books like this one. They are so popular and unbelievable, fascinating that people read them over and over again in different languages ​​and they're as hooked the whole time as I was. This book was better than I've expected. No, wait, don't laugh. I know millions of people read it etc, but every time I read a book that everyone loves, I don't like it or not like it like other readers did... But this book was so exciting that I read it, shockingly, in one sitting. I switched from audio to paperback, depending on where I was. I just couldn't stop reading it. What I admire about this book is that there wasn't a second where you had the chance to get bored. It was pure action throughout the book, no matter the situation. It was never boring and never dragged on. Suspense-packed, scary-gripping, creepy-atmospheric thriller. The characters are incredibly authentic and also a bit weird. That's exactly how they should be, with a topic like this. I was so freaking hooked with this book, and this subject and all together, it was just perfect, I love this book. This is exactly how a perfect psychological thriller should be.

Incredibly exciting and breathtaking

Min dotter gällande den här boken ☺️

I'm halfway reading this, so far its great!