The pieces of the puzzle are all there, they just need to be put into the right place. The Silent Patient is a detective story more than anything else, as Theo delves into Alicia’s past to try and work out what happened in her past to cause her to refuse to speak. He’s determined that he’s going to be the one to finally get her to speak again. Alicia used to be a painter, and after the murder she painted a self-portrait that has long fascinated Theo. Then there’s Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time to be able to meet Alicia and work with her.
She now resides at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. The case was high profile and famous at the time, but after a while Alicia’s actions faded into the background. No one knew why, because after the incident she refused to speak, and hasn’t spoken a single word ever since.
Several years ago, Alicia Benson murdered her husband. That book in question is The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. In all honesty though I think I would have read this one pretty quickly anyway, it was so hard to put down. I enjoyed this book and the brilliance with which Michaelides writes. For a debut novel it's impressive how well he wrote the psychological aspect of the characters. As with many other books, I didn't love his overuse of the F-word, but that is really my only complaint with this novel. It was entertaining, kept me guessing, and ended in a way I did not see coming. I hope Alex Michaelides continues to write and churns out more great psychological thrillers.The benefits of having a three-year-old not sleeping due to a growth spurt? Having extra time to read at 3am! Got to find the silver lining, right? That’s why I managed to finish my next book quicker than usual. What follows is nothing short of fascinating so many characters that leave you wondering if they had anything to do with Gabriel and Alicia's demise. Just when it seems you have the story figured out, Michaelides throws in a twist and you are left continuing to wonder how the tale will end.
To further the mystery, we are given snippets of Alicia's diary, which repeatedly declares her love and devotion to her husband. Not once does she introduce a hint of what's to come. We are often left thinking, maybe she's not guilty. Alicia is declared insane and admitted thereafter to the Grove, a secured facility. Theo Faber is fascinated with the case and wants nothing more than to somehow be able to treat her and get her to speak and tell the story of what happened that fateful day. Faber jumps at the chance to be a part of her medical team when a position opens up at the Grove for a foresenic psychotherapist. That quote sums up the mystery that is within The Silent Patient by Michaelides. The book from begining to end is the quest of psychotherapist Theo Faber to find out why Alicia Berenson, a talented painter, murdered her husband Gabriel and why she has not uttered a word since. Not one in six years. Not one word in defense of herself, proclaiming guilt or innocence. Not one word as to why. Not one word of remorse, despair, or grief. Only silence.
"But why does she not speak?" Alcestis, Euripides