#BookRecommendation-‘The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides

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 problem with a book release as hyped as ‘‘The Silent Patient’‘ currently is, is that there is the risk that it does not live up to the title of ‘the 2019 thriller that everyone is talking about’.

Clever? Hmm. Twisty? Yes. Engaging? Definitely. But ‘Brilliant’, ‘totally original’,’sophisticated’ and ‘clever’? Absolutely!

The story is about Alicia Berenson, painter, artist, survivor of a traumatic childhood, who has seemingly inexplicably killed her husband. In the absence of a defence or explanation, she is found guilty and sent to a secure psychiatric unit for the rest of her life.

Despite many attempts by various professionals, she remains mute. The last picture that she painted was of herself, as a nude, painting with a possible blood stained paintbrush, with self harm marks on her wrists, entitled ‘Alcestis’.

And here is where my  opinion of ‘The Silent Patient’ will divert from the popular opinion-what could have been a motif is ,in my opinion, overplayed throughout the novel.It’s not a bad thing, more of a slight annoyance.

‘Alcestis’ is a play by the Greek, Euripides, and what is seen as tale of vengeance could be considered a tale of surrender in ‘The Silent Patient’ in my humble opinion.

The short chapters keep the pace moving which helps the story progress at speed, it is very difficult to put it down. The biggest issue I had was that the story was meant to be about the woman, the artist, Alicia and she seemed to be constantly side-lined for the men her life.

Her name as an artist will not be remembered(her art is now kept in storage by her gallery) but her crime and her much loved, and missed husband will. She is painted as a pawn in the hands of , variously, her father, her husband, her Dr, her brother in law, her psychotherapist, Dr Diomedes and Theo Faber,the narrator.

Theo Faber, the forensic psychotherapist narrator is arrogant and takes risks which are meant to be seen as maverick, but personally I would be concerned about his professionalism-or lack thereof. He constantly says that ‘the patients do not belong to him’ but he clearly sees Alicia as ‘his’.

Diomedes smiled, still with the same sense of amusement.’You are not the first. I believed I would succeed.Alicia is a silent siren,my boy, luring us to the rocks,where we dash our therapeutic ambition to pieces.’ He smiled. She taught me a valuable lesson in failure. Perhaps you need to learn the same lesson.’

The lengths to which he goes to to secure a postion where he can get access to Alicia are very disturbing, and you are constantly on edge as to whether his motives are professional or personal. At the same time as wanting Alicia to talk, you are anxious for whatever it is that she might say and her safety in the institution! She is the test case that the future of the institute plans on using to secure funding to stay open so there is absolutely a vested interest in Theo’s unconventional therpary sessions.

Alex Michaelides plays with the unreliable narrator for all he is worth -this is a debut novel, which reads like a screenplay , it is very visual indeed and has been optioned by Plan B for develoment.It’s very good and I will genuinely be looking forward to seeing the reaction to ‘The Silent Patient’ when it is published on February 7th.

About the Author….

Alex Michaelides was born in Cyprus to a Greek-Cypriot father and English mother. He read English at Cambridge University and received a MA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute. He wrote the film Devil You Know, starring Rosamund Pike, and co-wrote The Con is On, starring Uma Thurman and Tim Roth. The Silent Patient is his first novel.

Twitter @AlexMichaelides

*Disclaimer-this is a revised edition of an earlier published review following re-reading*