THE SILENT PATIENT
by Anu Priya Kumari
“…we often mistake love for fireworks — for drama and dysfunction. But real love is very quiet, very still. It’s boring, if seen from the perspective of high drama. Love is deep and calm — and constant.”
A maze-like exploration of the psyches of both a woman convicted of murdering her husband and the therapist determined to treat her, THE SILENT PATIENT is a sophisticated debut suspense novel and is every bit deserving of its effusive praises. The impactfulness of Michaelides’ exceptional first novel lies not in mile-a-minute pacing or whiplash-inducing twists but in the author’s masterful, methodical building — and breaking down — of his characters. Just as his protagonist explores and unveils the mental state of his subject, so, too, does Michaelides methodically reveal to his readers the psychology of the characters upon which he builds this book. Coming to the storyline, let’s give you a quick opener without propounding spoilers ahead. There is a London-based psychotherapist, Theo Farber who becomes obsessed with Alicia Berenson, a rising-star painter who’s convicted of murdering her fashion-photographer husband Gabriel. After the murder, she stops speaking entirely and is placed in the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit where Theo applies for a job six years later — expressly to meet, and treat, the still-silent Alicia.
“You become increasingly comfortable with madness — and not just the madness of others, but your own. We’re all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”
The truth is, you can’t see the end coming. You will read all 323 pages of this psychological thriller and would not be able to deduce the twist until the author wants you to. The introduction of Greek mythology twined with psychological conditions is something to look forward to. Euripides’ play titled Alcestis is the core of everything. The real impact comes not in flash or drama but in the innermost workings of his characters. And the cherry on the cake is this novel not just stops with the denouncement of the truth but also goes beyond that and gives a perfect and satisfactory ending.
THE SILENT PATIENT is an outstanding debut crime novel that forges its own path, delivering intelligent character study and masterful plotting, all wrapped up in hypnotic writing from which you won’t want to tear yourself away. This book has been so rightfully hyped and also has a movie adaptation in the works.
“I was crying for all of us. There’s so much pain everywhere, and we just close our eyes to it. The truth is we’re all scared. We’re terrified of each other.”
Like a literary magician, Michaelides takes a simple premise and, in plain sight, turns it into something greater than the sum of its parts. The final reveal is worth the price of the book alone; it was the most shocking and intelligently plotted reveal I’ve read in ages, and I’m a picky reader when it comes to reveals. I will put this review to an end with this…
“This was the first time I came face-to-face with Alicia Berenson.
The rest, as they say, is history.”