The Silent Patient

Alex Michaelides

Feb 2019 · Sold by Celadon Books

About this ebook

**THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

"An unforgettable—and Hollywood-bound—new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy."
—Entertainment Weekly

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....

Ratings and reviews

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed The Silent Patient. It was an easy read finishing it in a day. There is a good storyline with a satisfying twist. One I admit I did not predict. My only dislikes for this novel are as follows. 1. The way borderlines are referred to in this book is very negative. I feel we as a society need to be more progressive regarding mental health. Understanding the person is not the diagnosis. Although the portrayal of assumptions and attitudes towards borderlines is accurate, it is also harmful. This is a very misunderstood diagnosis that is given little research. 2. After the twist is revealed I feel like the ending is a bit rushed. Overall The Silent Patient is a great book that I will definitely recommend to others! #thesilentpatient #alexmichaelides #bookstagram #bookreview #4star #lallahbookreview #readinginlallahland

Interesting premise but gets so bogged down with psycho nonsense that adds nothing to the book. I called the twist ending by chapter three and wasn't surprised by it. I was however, surprised at how long the author can drag out the simplest of moments that make each chapter seem bloated. Wasted potential, trim the fat.

This is a great mystery read. It starts off slow, but the story picks up steam about half way through. The author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing until the very end. I always like a good plot twist. Highly recommend!

About the author

Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has an M.A. in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and is sold in a record-breaking 50 countries. His second novel, The Maidens, was an instant New York Times bestseller and garnered rave reviews from The Guardian, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, and more. After living in London for many years, Alex has recently moved back to his birthplace, Cyprus.