THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides

THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides **** - A shocking psychological thriller, a suspenseful murder mystery, a fictional crime story - or all three? The Silent Patient tells the story of Alicia Berenson, a famous painter married to a fashion photographer, who shoots her husband in the face and then never speaks again. This story follows Alicia’s psychotherapist, Theo Faber, as he tries to uncover her reasons for ending her seemingly perfect marriage and upending her peaceful and charming life.

This book left my jaw on the floor. No, seriously. I finished it in twelve hours. I read the last page at one am, laying next to my boyfriend in bed, my jaw completely open, staring at the ceiling. I told him as soon as I finished the last page, “I feel like I just watched a movie.” Now, I’m usually pretty good about imagining what I’m reading. I can always see the characters and setting (especially if it’s a well-written novel). This, however, was on a whole other level. The plot twist, the suspense, the twists and turns, all left me on the edge of my seat. In fact, I had to set the book down a few times just to register what was going on. After I finished, I gave my boyfriend a full recap of the entire plot (he’s not a big reader and would rather hear my spoilers than read it himself).

Now - this is just shy of five stars for a few reasons. I think at some point I gauged what was going on and the ending seemed only slightly predictable. Also - I have not read enough psychological thrillers to know what constitutes a great one. So I may come back after reading some more and say ‘hey, this was the best one ever written’ and bump it up to five stars. But for now, I’m keeping it at a hefty four. Read this one - not by yourself in the dark. It’s spooky.