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A review by joshkiba13
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Her silence was like a mirror---reflecting yourself back at you. And it was often an ugly sight."
Well this was a twisty little thing. It kept me interested all the way through. The chapters were super short so it was hard to stop reading ever, hehe.
I enjoyed Theo as a narrator, and the little inserts of Alicia's journal kept the mystery dialing up as we went.
I love a good allusion to or parallel with other works of fiction within a story, so the connections to Alcestis by Europides were a brilliant inclusion.
At first I didn't care forthe subplot with Theo's unfaithful wife ---it felt cliche at first. But once the story developed some and I realized that Theo was unhealed from childhood trauma and that he was just as much of a person in need as his silent patient Alicia , the subplot worked for me.
While I did catch on toTheo being extremely unwell , the big reveal did still shock me. I didn't realize that the subplot took place six years earlier, so I in no way saw coming that Theo was Alicia's stalker . All of the subtle hints and details throughout the story, all of the different perspectives on the tragedy from different characters, and the development of Theo as a narrator all came together perfectly in the climax. I was shocked and well pleased with the reveal.
I read in the questions with the author section at the end that Michaelides appreciates weather in fiction, so it's interesting to me that it doesn't snow until the last lines of the book, which causes Theo to smile as he catches first one flake, and then another. I'm curious as to what this could represent metaphorically.
All in all a great read, and in a lot of ways it reminded me of Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. It'd be fun to go back and read again one day knowing the ending to see all the clues building up.
Well this was a twisty little thing. It kept me interested all the way through. The chapters were super short so it was hard to stop reading ever, hehe.
I enjoyed Theo as a narrator, and the little inserts of Alicia's journal kept the mystery dialing up as we went.
I love a good allusion to or parallel with other works of fiction within a story, so the connections to Alcestis by Europides were a brilliant inclusion.
At first I didn't care for
While I did catch on to
I read in the questions with the author section at the end that Michaelides appreciates weather in fiction, so it's interesting to me that it doesn't snow until the last lines of the book, which causes Theo to smile as he catches first one flake, and then another. I'm curious as to what this could represent metaphorically.
All in all a great read, and in a lot of ways it reminded me of Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. It'd be fun to go back and read again one day knowing the ending to see all the clues building up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Body horror