Discussion on The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Erdelyi Sara · Post by **Erdelyi Sara** » 13 Dec 2022, 13:51

I honestly really liked this book. It is an amazing thriller with a big twist in the middle. The woman who is the main character is silent for the whole time but before she dies she speaks a little. Everybody thinks she killed her husband but she didn't. She only talks with her paintings and drawings but never to any people.

Tanzil badgujar · Post by **Tanzil badgujar** » 14 Jun 2023, 11:38

I don't really read thrillers or murder mysteries but silent patient was truely an exception. The way alex michaelides wrote the story it was amazing.the story was perfect. The characters were amazing also the way the twist takes place in the end is one of the best things i have ever read . I don't really enjoy thrillers but trust me this book hooked me up till the end. It was impossible to put the book down . As i kept reading the story got more and more interesting and intense. I loved this book . Its a story about a woman who killed her husband and doesn't speak a word after that for years . But as the story starts you will never know how the whole scenario took a turn and you didn't even realized. I would literally tell you all to read the book you will truly love it . Its a 10 on 10 book . There was not a single person who didn't liked the book to those I recommended it . You will enjoy and also freak out when you'll get to know the reason behind the women's silence

Sheza Akbar · Post by **Sheza Akbar** » 15 Oct 2023, 02:35

"I agree, 'The Silent Patient' is one of a kind. I couldn't put the book down; I read it everywhere—at home, on the bus, at the university. The plot twist was unfathomable. I suspected everyone except the real culprit.

Cheshta Sharma · Post by **Cheshta Sharma** » 17 Oct 2023, 22:30

This was a book that I had been thinking about for a long time after reading it. So, I knew it was a good book.

Sree M 1 · Post by **Sree M 1** » 08 Mar 2024, 04:06

The best murder mystery book I have ever read! To be honest, such books should get all the hype it deserves... Silent patient is still a very underrated book

Niks M · Post by **Niks M** » 16 Mar 2024, 02:36

I got into psychological thriller only recently. Must say this one got me really excited , I completed this in less than a week, the way everything was written, the plot twist making us guess until the beginning of fourth part. It was my first book of Michaelides and I am looking forward to reading his other books as well. I can see why it's one of the best crime thrillers.

carina deluca · Post by **carina deluca** » 20 Mar 2024, 09:54

I read this book 2 years ago and totally loved it.the ending was really mind blowing.this was the very first kind of psychological thriller that I read.i recommend this book to a friend of mine and she love for too.anyone else who’s wondering whether they should read this book or not should not waste time and go read it right now!!!

Ranju Rajbhar · Post by **Ranju Rajbhar** » 10 Sep 2024, 06:51

The Silent Patient is Alex Michaelides' psychological thriller about Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who kills her husband, Gabriel. The book opens with Alicia, standing over Gabriel's dead body, holding a gun, and covered in his blood. Yet in spite of the overwhelming evidence against her, Alicia refuses to speak; she just turns completely mute. She finally gets sent to a psychiatric facility, The Grove, where she stays mute, leaving many people in a complete dilemma. The narrator of the novel is Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist who becomes fascinated with Alicia's case. He will do whatever it takes to find out the mystery behind her silence and why she killed her husband. He then seeks employment at The Grove for the sole purpose of treating Alicia so that she can talk again. Theo is said to be interested in Alicia's case out of obsession, knowing if he treats her, then he might finally face unresolved trauma and personal struggles. As Theo engages more into Alicia's life, he starts to take notice of details regarding her life of turmoil. Alicia's childhood was emotionally maltreated, including by her mother. Indeed, as the story goes further, it is proof that the marriage between Alicia and Gabriel is not as rosy as it initially seemed. Through a series of interviews with people who knew Alicia-her friends, family, and colleagues-Theo pieces together fragments of Alicia's life leading up to the murder. Interspersed throughout the novel are excerpts from Alicia's personal diary that give insight into what she has been thinking and feeling up to the night of Gabriel's murder. These latter diary entries reveal increasing paranoia and fear that there is someone watching her, and contributing to Alicia's psychological decline. In the process, such diary entries only deepen the mystery as to why she killed Gabriel. While learning more about Alicia, Theo also started to face some of his own issues, including a troubled marriage to his wife Kathy. He thinks that Kathy has an affair, which is a parallel unraveling of Alicia's relationship with Gabriel. The tension builds up in the novel as Theo comes closer and closer to unlocking the truth behind Alicia's silence. And the climax of the story finishes as a plot twist that he, Theo, had been the catalyst for Gabriel's murder. Years earlier, Theo had followed his wife Kathy, suspecting her of having an affair, which indeed it was-with Gabriel. In a jealous rage, Theo confronted Alicia and Gabriel, holding them hostage in their own home, forcing Gabriel to choose between his life or Alicia's. Gabriel selfishly chose to save himself, and Alicia, devastated by his betrayal, shot him. In fact, it was Theo's interference in their lives that caused Gabriel's death and Alicia's silence. The Silent Patient is a thrilling novel of trauma, double-cross, and multi-layering of the human psyche, with an end that surely will leave a reader speechless.

Novagrace01 · Post by **Novagrace01** » 02 Oct 2024, 11:19

I read this 3 years ago and I can’t remember most of it other than the fact that I was extremely disappointed with the ending. I rated this 3/5 stars, but since my ratings have evolved over the years, I think I should have given it a 2/5.

Maddie Bowker · Post by **Maddie Bowker** » 16 Dec 2024, 20:10

The silent patient is an amazing book it shocked me with plot twists and the story line was excellent. It features a woman named Alicia Berenson who killed her husband by shooting him five times in the head before going mute. It's narrated by a therapist named Theo Faber who is convinced he will be the one to make her speak. The whole book was beautifully written apart from the end it disappointed me and I don't know quite how to explain it like it was unfinished or a bite was taken out of it, although even with the disappointing finish the rest of the book was delightful. I would rate this book a 4/5 but it would be higher if not for the dis satisfactory ending.

London Baum · Post by **London Baum** » 29 Apr 2025, 19:35

I don’t read many thrillers these days, but this one is my favorite of the last few years! I could not put it down, I was so invested and I never saw the twist coming! One of the most well down thrillers in my opinion.

Melissa Katherine · Post by **Melissa Katherine** » 30 Apr 2025, 16:12

I felt the same way! I had seen so many people recommending this book across social media. I started reading it, and then had to put it down and read some other books because it just wasn't holding my attention very well, and then I came back to it later. The ending was a decent twist, but it wasn't all that surprising to me. Part of why I didn't like the book was because I'm in the healthcare field and have family members with experience with psychologists, and I didn't like how a lot of things were handled in the book. I also didn't like the main character, Theo, which after the ending maybe we're not supposed to like him very much, but it made it hard to get into the book and want to keep reading.