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Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. *


Title: The Silent Patient
Author: Alex Michaelides
Publisher: Orion
Source: Netgalley

(Bookshop UK| Hive| Goodreads | Storygraph)


Book Summary:

Only she knows what happened.
Only I can make her speak.

I love him so totally, completely, sometimes it threatens to overwhelm me.
Sometimes I think-
No. I won't write about that.

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?

Book Review:

The Silent Patient is a book that has been hyped about for the longest time so when I picked it up, I was apprehensive. Overall I had a good time with The Silent Patient and I look forward to reading more from Alex Michaelides in the future.

I have to admit that I spent the day listening to the audiobook and although I did enjoy the experience, I did have some problems with it. The narrator is definitely younger than the main protagonist and this threw me a lot as I feel like this does make a difference. 

I think the book tries to have an unreliable narrator and the narrator being such a younger person messes with this dynamic. I do think that the character is meant to be creepy but the narrator sounds too nice for this to be true.

The narrator and audiobook also are quite difficult as sometimes the narrator will read the book before they do the reading which can change the way that you read the book. l have seen some reviews where they read the book in one way and I completely didn't get that. I believe this is because you are reading from the narrator's eyes so you cannot make the decision yourself.

One of the reasons why I don't tend to read thrillers is because I normally know the ending. I did end up guessing the ending and I don't think this did have an impact on my enjoyment of the book. It is also made me have sympathy for Alicia and I think we can all agree that Theo is a dislikable character. 

While I did enjoy the writing and the characters, there was just something that I did not connect with overall. I have seen the new book from the author so I will definitely check out the Maidens in the future.

The Verdict:

The Silent Patient is worth the hype, being a good thriller that will have you racing to know the ending. 

Have you read The Silent Patient? If so, what did you think? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments.

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