Alex Michaelides' first novel, The Silent Patient will be available on February 5, 2019. Through one of my book club subscriptions, I had the opportunity to put my hands on a copy and receive it as my first book to read of 2019 (if you would like to borrow my copy, you are welcome to)!
Synopsis by BOTM
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
My Review 3.5/5.0
Let me preface my review by saying this is the third thriller novel that I have read in two months, so I was expecting a plot-twist.. and that heavily influenced my rating of this book.. BUT - if you have not picked up a book in a couple months.. this is the perfect story for you to get back in your reading chair!
I finished this novel in one day. Taking an extra long lunch at work and staying up with my lamp on, I simply could not put this book down until I figured out what happened. I think that speaks for itself.
First of all, I loved the setting of the novel. It was so well described that the author allows you to imagine the areas that the story takes place in. While sometimes this is challenging for me in other novels, I could find myself easily imagining walking the same streets that the characters were.
One of my other favorite things about this book is that throughout the novel, the reader gets to engage in snippets from Alicia's diary, unraveling her story piece-by-piece. Since she is silent for the whole story, it encourages you to look forward and engage further into each diary piece the author places between the chapters.
Although once I finished the novel, I did have to re-read some parts of the ending to piece things together before finally understanding. I found myself thinking "Wait what?" trying to figure out dates, timing of actions, etc. The author could have revealed the ending in a way that made a little more sense.. but I might have read it to quickly to really slow down and pay attention (a fault of my own).
It's hard for me to write a long review.. because that would mean including spoilers.. and I just can't bring myself to do that! You'll have to pick up The Silent Patient for yourself.. and let me know what you think! For the author's first novel - bravo!
Comments