Hello! Welcome back for another blog post!
     Today we will be doing a book review of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, a thriller book that won Goodreads Choice Award for Thriller in 2019
        I’ve been wanting to read this book for so long now! It’s been so long since I have read a really good thriller book. The story revolves around Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, as he unravels the secrets behind the famous case of Alicia Berenson, a popular painter who one day killed her husband. The catch is Alicia Berenson refuse to speak anymore after the incident.
 BOOK DESCRIPTION FROM GOODREADS:
Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
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 spotlights 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 motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him…
THOUGHTS WHILE READING THE SILENT PATIENT:
        Let me get straight to the point. The only reason why I picked up this book is because of the overly hyped big reveal. I’ve been hearing that this book includes a great twist in the end. They’re exaggerating it so much to the point that the twist didn’t make much impact on me. Don’t get me wrong. It is a GREAT twist, completely unexpected. I love how it all circled back from the start, mind-blowing and excellent. But as a fan of really great thrillers, I kind of expected more from the twist. Maybe it’s just me, but don’t get scared of diving on this because it is good.
        Even though this book has 70 chapters, this book doesn’t feel long to me. The story is divided into 5 parts and each chapter is written on a small bite-size amount which makes this book easy to read.
        Based on my initial reading, this book has two alternating plot points. The first one is Theo Faber’s interaction with Alicia, and the other one is his conflicts between his wife and the alleged third party. It’s nice to read how we get to see Theo Faber as a psychologist, as well as a human being who also fights his inner battles and demons. It’s quite an irony, but that’s what I love about his character. He oozes with the passion to care but also yearns to be cared for and to be loved by someone.
 
       What I also liked about this book is how the author included Greek mythology, particularly Alcestis. I will not elaborate more about Alcestis since it’s going to be explained much better in the book. Just be minded that Alcestis plays a very important role in the whole book. You’ll understand it more once you get to finish it.
       I’ve already mentioned this one on my twitter account. As a psychology student, this book made me question my real intentions towards taking the said course. A certain quote from this book made me question whether am I here to save other people, or do I want to save myself first?
Here’s the quote: “I mean, of course, I wanted to help people. But that was a secondary aim—particularly at the time I started training. The real motivation was purely selfish. I was on a quest to help myself. I believe the same is true for most people who go into mental health. We are drawn to this profession because we are damaged—we study psychology to heal ourselves. Whether we are prepared to admit this or not is another question.”
      Being a psychology student made reading this book more fun and interesting. It’s fun to learn and read from a protagonist who is a psychologist himself. It fascinates me how psychologists seem to have unique brains of their own as they think differently and analytically.
       If you’re up for a really good thriller book, you should pick this up! Enjoyed every part of it, rated this one 4/5 stars!
Thanks for dropping by! Have you read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides? What are your thoughts about it?
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