“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides

Genre:  Mystery & Thrillers
Publisher:  Celadon Books
Pub. Date:  February 5, 2019

Mini Review

I need to start this review by saying that I guessed the big twist early on in the novel.  This does not mean that I didn’t enjoy this crime thriller, for I did.  The story revolves around Alicia Berenson a 33-old woman who kills her husband.  Tied in a chair, she shoots him five times in the face. Creepy. She stops speaking immediately after the murder.  She is a painter by profession.  Her only communication is through a self-portrait she paints weeks after the murder, titled “Alcestis.” I enjoyed that the author throws his readers a clue in the form of a Greek tragedy. Don’t worry if you never heard of the play, I hadn’t, it is explained to you.  And no, the painting’s title was not the tip-off for me.

There is a short trial. Alicia receives a guilty verdict.  Due to her hysterical silence, she is sentenced to a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Her psychotherapist, Theo Faber, narrates the story. I found his voice unreliable.  He jumps around in time without letting the reader know.  The narration is also unrealistic. Too much psychobabble.  Thrillers are usually only good when you don’t see the twist coming.  So why did I keep reading? Probably because Michaelides gives us many shady suspects throughout the tale. I kept hoping that I guessed wrong. “Silent” is not a particularly well written novel, still it is a fun ride that should be read in the middle of the night with a tired mind.  You may just find yourself questioning your own sanity.

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