⭐⭐⭐
The Silent Patient
By Alex Michaelides
I do not know where to begin with this book. I was invested the entire read; I couldn’t put it down! But it definitely had its pros and cons.
Theo Faber is a psychotherapist (isn’t this term a bit dated?) who transfers hospitals to treat a specific patient — Alicia, a woman who mysteriously murdered her husband 6 years ago and hasn’t spoken a single word since. His goal, of course, is to get her speaking again and determine why she killed her husband.
Pro: Strong voice. The narrator is believable, imperfect, etc.
Con: the narrator is SO ANNOYING you just want him to SHUT UP. He is misogynistic, creepy, self centered, and his obsession with his patients and distinct lack of professionalism are major turn offs. But you keep reading anyway, because you have to find out what happens next.
Pro: Dual POV. The diary entries vs narrative construct two interesting separate perspectives.
Con: one POV is MUCH more interesting, and you really get sick of the narrator (Theo) rambling about his own childhood trauma and failing marriage when it doesn’t seem important to the story.
Pro: This is a quick read.
Pro: The story and twist are well done. The plot itself is fantastic and the reveal actually made me exclaim “WHAT?!” and re-read.
Con: the details are not well done. The ending is wrapped up too conveniently, dare I say unrealistically. The portrayal of the mental health field and psychiatric hospitals seems dated and unrealistic, as if the author doesn’t have any firsthand experience. Weapon choices don’t make sense, there is a distinct lack of British-isms in a British book, and the characters aren’t likable… Any of them but Alicia.
Overall, I believe this is a solid first novel that could’ve done with some extra fact checking and more beta readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the twist and I mostly enjoyed the ride there.
⭐⭐⭐
The Midnight Review 