Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. 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. 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. 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.
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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. Thriller fans, especially fans of psychological mysteries should definitely pick this one up.#1 New York Times bestseller Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. Any port in a storm, eh? But as every chapter and every conversation reveals just how far down the rabbit hole of deception and psychological horror goes, one has to wonder if there really is a safe harbor anywhere for her-or if she really deserves one at all.Īgh! I’m saying too much. Even if I thought there was something inexperienced and off about Theo, Alicia needs rescuing. The rest of the staff at the Grove seem to have consigned the former artist to medication and given up on talk therapy. There were a few times I rolled my eyes at Theo’s more Freudian statements about Alicia’s state of mind, but I had to admire his drive to break through Alicia’s silence. Instead, I can say that this book is an astounding tale of psychological cat and mouse. I can’t say anything else about the plot of The Silent Patient without ruining its brilliant twist. The Silent Patient Book Discussion Alicia Berenson is a notable artist married to Gabriel, a fashion photographer. His beloved wife has cheated on him and he is reeling from the shock. Meanwhile, alternating chapters reveal that Theo has his own problems. He finds a long, often contested history of abandonment, suicidal depression, and betrayal. But even once Theo convinces the director to allow him to become Alicia’s therapist, reduce her dose, and give her access to art supplies and a temporary studio, Alicia still refuses to speak.Īt the same time that we see Theo using everything in his psychoanalytic arsenal to try and get Alicia to talk, we get more excerpts from Alicia’s journal, as well as conversations Theo has with her friends and relatives to try and discover what is keeping Alicia from speaking. Alicia is on a strong dose of anti-psychotics and has restricted privileges due to her history of violence and suicide attempts. The first time he sees her at the Grove, Theo can see the tell-tale signs of overmedication. Alicia has been incarcerated there for seven years by the time Theo shows up. Theo has been delighted to learn that he has secured a job at the Grove, a facility for criminals with mental illness. I haven’t been snookered so completely, in the best way, by a book in a very long time.Īfter short prologue introduces us to Alicia’s voice, via a journal she kept before she was tried and convicted of her husband’s murder, we meet Theo Faber.
It’s only at the end of the book that we learn the full, shocking truth in a twist that absolutely floored me. Something about his declarations that Theo wants to get Alicia to speak feel a little desperate. But I think that unsettled me most was the way that Theo Faber wrangled so hard to become Alicia’s psychotherapist at the facility where Alicia has been confined.
Then there are all the conflicting accounts of Alicia’s character there are a lot of liars in this novel.
First, there is a patient-Alicia Berenson-who will not speak after she was convicted of shooting her husband. Finn, Alex Michaelides’ debut soon-to-be-a-blockbuster-movie novel, The Silent Patient is mainly narrated from the first-person perspective of Theo Faber, forensic psychotherapist. Plot Described as the perfect thriller by none other than A.
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There is a lot that is unsettling about The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides. His first novel, The Silent Patient, has received rave reviews and will be adapted into a movie by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B.