Throughout reading communities like BookTok, “The Silent Patient,” written by Alex Michaelides, receives constant praise for its suspenseful plot. The book contains an unpredictable twist and does a great job at hooking the reader from the very first paragraph, however, it also misses a few important details that truly tie the story together.
Following the unusual events of the death of famous photographer Gabriel Berenson, Alicia Berenson, found at the scene of the crime with guilt, was named the culprit of the crime. However, it remains unknown as to why she did it resulting in her complete silence, crowning her the title of the silent patient when she’s shipped off to a psychiatric unit. Throughout the book, criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber attempts to discover her motive as to why she killed her husband through a variety of tactics, dragging the reader along to reveal a secret untold to the rest of the world.
When reading “The Silent Patient,” the characters’ backgrounds become prevalent, showing the reader how they reached their current circumstances. While Theo Faber appears as a skilled psychotherapist, he encounters numerous obstacles throughout the book when learning to communicate with Alicia. Not only that, Theo’s intentions upon becoming a psychotherapist relate to his own past struggles growing up and focus more on his selfishness rather than his intention to help others. Alicia Berenson had been married to Gabriel Berenson, making them a couple in the spotlight. While Alicia was a famous and wealthy artist, the book reveals a long history of grief and abandonment that she endured. The book does an excellent job at describing the character’s background, but there’s a lack of similar effort put into describing the physical qualities of the characters. The description is decent at most, with only short introductory descriptions of the physical aspects of every character. The book portrays Alicia as beautiful with long, luscious red hair and translucent skin; however, it does not go into much detail with the main character, Theo Faber. Theo is only ever described in the first few pages at the end of the novel, and even then, the little amount of description makes it hard to imagine how Theo looks, mostly focusing on his background. He’s described as a tall, dark-haired man with little hints of anything else. However, the beginning of the book sets a tone that makes the reader trust Theo, but later in the book, it becomes apparent that he’s an unreliable narrator as he twists the story to fit his agenda. Although I found the descriptions simple on my end, they do a good job at hinting toward deeper traumas rooted in the characters and highlight that struggles avoided in the past can resurface and cause damage.
Like most books, the plot contains a few subplots that deal with the side characters of the book. When reading “The Silent Patient,” Theo trails different paths to discover Alicia’s motive and later discovers other important pieces of information that deal with the characters’ trauma. While the book does a good job at having an organized direction for the main plot, making it clear, the subplots were left unfinished, such as with Max Berenson’s plot. The lack of attention to the side stories leaves the book incomplete, with many questions left unanswered. As for connecting all the clues to the unsettling twist at the end, Michaelides does an excellent job of wrapping up all the information. The tiny clues hidden in the pages, the detailed writing of the trauma endured by the main characters and the patterns strewn throughout the story all contribute to building up the plot twist. It does a phenomenal job at lowering the reader’s guard and steering certain characters off the radar for suspicion. Even though I knew there would be a huge twist at the end because of all the hype around the topic, it took me by surprise because I would’ve never suspected the involvement of a specific character.
“The Silent Patient” displays a variety of themes and messages throughout the book. While not explicitly stated, the characters deliver a message that suppressing trauma and emotions can take a turn for the worse and release in violent ways if not dealt with effectively. The book focuses on unresolved childhood trauma and the effects of burying it, making it an interesting read for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. Alicia’s silence portrays a deeper meaning than simply staying quiet for the sake of it. Her silence represents the power of body language and quietude holds, with her gestures communicating her emotions. Throughout the book, Theo finds that her facial expressions and gestures prove important. From his perspective, we as readers learn to read Alicia’s movements, which gives us insight into how body language can play a big role in communication. I found the overall language in the book to be something refreshing to read. The details in this book make it stand out and teach us that it’s important to consider other forms of communication besides just our voices and that we shouldn’t solely rely on them.
Overall, the book lived up to the expectations I gained from social media, leading me to rate it an 8/10. “The Silent Patient” presents a new experience for those interested in psychological thrillers. It differentiates from other books because of its unique plot and unforeseen twists. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the thrill of the unknown.
