Title : The Silent Patient

Author : Alex Michaelides

Publisher : Orion Books

Genre : Crime Thriller

A husband, a noted fashion photographer is murdered, shot to be precise, the wife, a painter, is apparently the eye witness or should I say, the prime suspect as she sits frozen next to his bullet ridden body holding the gun, the murder weapon. She is taken for trial and she doesn’t utter a word.

Thus begins the saga of ‘The Silent Patient’ aka Alicia Berenson. Alicia lived a happy life with her husband Gabriel Berenson until that fateful night when she shot him five times in the head.

Alicia tried killing herself by slashing her veins but was saved by the cops. During the trail that followed, she chose to remain silent and continued the same for six years post the gruesome murder. She was declared mentally unstable and sent to a rehabilitation center – The Grove, under Prof Diomedes who testified in the court that Alicia was mad.

Now, here comes Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, who showed keen interest in Alicia’s case. The author Alex takes us through the inmates of The Grove describing them and the therapists there in detail. Prof Diomedes, Dr. Indira, Dr. Christian, Yuri and the manager Stephanie along with the inmates – Alicia, Elif keep him busy. The way inmates are treated, drugged and their emotional outbursts are all well depicted in the scenes that happen within The Grove.

The plot takes a twist as Theo decides to make Alicia speak and in pursuit of that, he traces back to Alicia’s childhood, her aunt Lydia, cousin Paul, brother-in-law Max Berenson, who happens to be her attorney as well and Jean-Felix Martin, the curator at Alicia’s gallery. 

All of them give their versions and opinions about Alicia and Theo feels that he is back to square one despite all the efforts taken. 

In between all these, Theo deals with his own fights, His traumatic childhood, he finding his love Kathy and they figuring out that she has betrayed him, drain him out both mentally and physically.

Theo figures out that art is the only way to make Alicia speak and he gives the art stuff that she owned. He manages to make her speak but as it progresses, Alicia and Elif have a showdown and Alicia pierces Elif’s eye with a pain brush and there ends her therapy too.

Theo still manages to make her speak and she gives him her diary, which helps him a lot. One fine day, Theo comes to know that Alicia has tried killing herself again.

What transpires when the police find Alicia’s diary and is Alicia the real killer – well the author’s well crafted words bring about the reveal to everyone’s surprise. Read and find out !!! The book will keep you hooked till the end. 

An amazing thriller indeed!!!