Madeline
Premise of The Silent Patient
The Silent Patient starts with a famous painter, Alicia, who kills her fashion photographer husband, Gabriel. When she is found she is standing over his bloody body with cuts on her wrist. She is sent to an institution to treat her as an insanity patient.
A fan of hers, who also happens to be a psychotherapist, Theo, applies for a job at the institution. As this is not the glamorous place to work, he gets the job on the spot as he has has planned. He is then able to weasel his way into working directly with her. The title of the book comes from Alicia refusing to speak anytime after the murder. The whole book, Theo is determined to treat her, whether she speaks or not.
From here, we dig into both of their stories and both of their backgrounds. We find out that Alicia has a past history of mental instability that has been hidden. As her history unfolds, her mental capacity is questioned, supporting the theory she killed her husband. We find out that Theo has his own history of mental issues. And he is in a passionate marriage. With a women with a wondering eye.
The ending shocked me. Although all the signs were there, I did not expect it to end the way it did. The twists and turns throughout the book are like a lazy river, winding and turning, keeping me on my toes the whole time but able to relax. Then all of a sudden, white water rapids come out of woodwork. I’m being jerked all around. The waves are all around me. And as quickly as the rapids start, the book is done. And left me to wonder, “Wait! What just happened?”
The Inspiration
The Greek myth, Alcestis, inspired Michaelides to write The Silent Patient. Through an interview with him, I discovered he is a screenwriter. Since this story did not adapt to the screen as well as a book, he transformed his attempt at a screenplay into a book. He was then able to take his time to develop characters and plot lines rather than rush through them as a screenwriter must do.
Final Thoughts
The read was quick, easy, and fun. I’m excited to see what else Michaelides comes out with. I can then add another well written book to my list of great fiction books.
