A Book Review
“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
Why won’t she speak?
“Her silence was like a mirror — reflecting yourself back at you. And it was often an ugly sight.”
I had The Silent Patient on my reading list for quite some time now. I have always considered myself more of an “I need to feel the touch of the pages” kind of a person, but then with everyone having to self-isolate and Amazon struggling to deliver even basic items, ordering a physical copy was out of the question. I might have just put reading the book off for another couple of months had it not been for the rave reviews this book has received. So I read a few sample pages and it was enough to get me hooked, so I finally bought a Kindle copy.
What really works for this book is its meticulous plot. It’s tight and well-knit. The book is based on a simple idea: A famous artist has killed her husband, but she won’t speak. A psychotherapist sets out to break her silence. It doesn’t beat around the bush and instead dives right into the story from the beginning” “Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband.”
Greek mythology meets the intricacies of psychotherapy, which makes for an interesting read. Told through the viewpoint of the psychotherapist, Theo, Alicia Berenson’s diary, and memories of the past, all three start off as separate channels of water until they finally merge together into the sea at the end.
The book isn’t exactly a thriller until you reach the culmination. What keeps you going is the lucid storytelling, small chapters, and the looming question, “Why does Alicia not speak?”
About 300 of the 325 pages of this book build up the characters and the story, offer explanations and justifications, and then when everything has been said, the final act wraps up with a bang. Everything falls into place.
The ending of the novel is one of the main reasons people have been raving about it. As someone who has consumed an embarrassing amount of thrillers and true crime, I wouldn’t deny that I saw it coming; it was more of a hunch. If you are really willing to pause and look, by the time all of the past has been laid out in front of you, it becomes remarkably clear that there is only one way the story could end, yet the lucid writing stops you from wanting to stop and instead carries you straight to where the thrill lies.
Now to the main question, would I recommend it?
Yes. It’s a well thought-out book which can be finished in one sitting and delivers what it promises. If you are a frequent visitor to the thriller section it will give you a good dose of entertainment; however, if the thriller section is more of an uncharted territory for you, prepare to have your socks knocked off.
To purchase this book, click here.
Kavana Anklekar is a new contributor to the Riveting Review. Stay tuned for more reviews.
