The Silent Patient

Estimated time to read: 3 minutes

Author : Alex Michaelides

This book got me out of my reading slump and into a frenzied reading pace, resulting in me finishing it in less than a week. And this should be review enough to serve as a recommendation for anyone else considering to pick this up as their next read, but there's so much more I have to say about it.
When you think about a book, there are a lot of factors to consider - the plot, the characters, the locations, interpersonal relationships, facts, consistencies etc. The strongest factor in this debut book by Alex Michaelides is definitely Time (or timelines, if you prefer). The narrative alternates between the voices of Alicia Berenson (the titular character) and Theo Faber (the psychotherapist, who is determined to make her talk), but the shift is always seamless, and that I believe is an excellent trait in storytelling. Their timelines are the past and the present respectively. The former goes about narrating her, Alicia's life with Gabriel (her husband) and their relationship, their stories that circle around Max (Gabriel's brother), Paul (Alicia's brother) and a couple of other recurring characters. While she is battling a lot of antagonistic external elements in her life, there are some inner demons as well that she constantly is forced to face. The latter revolves around Theo's own journey into his profession and his life post joining The Grove, a life he's decided to begin with the sole purpose of "rescuing" Alicia, all the while coming to terms with his own challenges at home. What follows is a tale of following-the-breadcrumbs, as Theo undertakes a investigative trip down Alicia's memory lane and goes about meeting all her former associations to understand her life and to attempt to help her break her silence.
I will not tell you if he succeeds or fails. But I will tell you that this book is more than a set of psychotherapist-patient interviews, not that you ever thought it was. Jokes apart, it's a thoroughly well written book that destigmatizes therapy a lot, and also makes you introspect, delve into your own psyche...question your voids and wonder if you are as whole as you thought you were or if you're really at peace with yourself, make you feel lucky for having a wholesome childhood, because, as Alex believes, that's where it all begins -

"As babies, we are innocent sponges, blank slates, with only the most basic needs present: to eat, shit, love, and be loved. But something goes wrong, depending on the circumstances into which we are born, and the house in which we grow up. A tormented, abused child can never take revenge in reality, as she is powerless and defenseless, but she can—and must—harbor vengeful fantasies in her imagination. Rage, like fear, is reactive.".

The Silent Patient, pg. 141

Oh, and it has one heck of a plot.
You'll never see it coming. And when you do...🤯

Subjective Rating: 4.5/5