About the Book:

ALICIA
Alicia Berenson writes a diary as a release, an outlet – and to prove to her beloved husband that everything is fine. She can’t bear the thought of worrying Gabriel, or causing him pain.

Until, late one evening, Alicia shoots Gabriel five times and then never speaks another word.

THEO
Forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber is convinced he can successfully treat Alicia, where all others have failed. Obsessed with investigating her crime, his discoveries suggest Alicia’s silence goes far deeper than he first thought.

And if she speaks, would he want to hear the truth?

THE SILENT PATIENT is a heart-stopping debut thriller about a woman’s brutal and random act of violence against her husband – and the man obsessed with discovering why.

Published by Hachette Australia

Released February 2019

My Thoughts:

This one was selected as our December book club read. I have read one previous novel by Alex Michaelides, The Maidens, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This one starts strong with a compelling premise and intriguing mystery forming the bones of the story. I listened to this one on audio and found it to be quite gripping with its dual narration and short, sharp chapters.

However, early on, the character of Theo, the psychotherapist and one of the main characters, began to feel off to me. He was acting like a detective, poking around in Alicia’s life in what I could only term as an inappropriate manner. I’m not a psychotherapist, but I’m pretty sure his actions were not in the usual position description. As the story progressed, Theo became less psychotherapist in my opinion and more straight up psycho.

By the end of this novel, I was honestly only still listening to it so that I could: a) get my money’s worth; and, b) confirm that I was right in the absolutely ludicrous twist that I suspected the author was headed towards. I was right. I rated this book one star on Goodreads. There are so many plot holes you could fall into and never find your way out of. The twist, as I mentioned above, is ludicrous. There are significant problems with the execution of the plot in terms of the way the author represents his timelines within the story. Honestly, I could go on but it’s really not worth it. This book was rubbish.

So, will I read Alex Michaelides again? Maybe. I rated The Maidens five stars. I’ve read two of his books now, loved one and hated the other. I probably need to read a third to decide if he’s for me or not. So many people have raved about this novel and I’m sure when it comes time for my book club meeting, we’ll be divided. Or, maybe it will just be me on the hating side of the fence? In a nutshell, this book is why I don’t read psychological thrillers/domestic crime much. They often don’t live up to the hype for me. If it gets made into a movie, I’ll definitely pass on it.