The Silent Patient Book Review
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 7-08-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 9.6/10
Book Cover Rating: 9.6/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: The Silent Patient
Author: Alex Michaelides
Pages: 336
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Subplots: Mystery
Romance Level: 0.5/3
Publisher: Celadon Books
First Published: 2019
Number of Editions: 181
Awards Won: Barry Award Nominee for Best First Novel, Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller and Nominee For Debut Novel, Book of the Month Book of the Year Award Nominee, Dublin Literary Award Nominee, Barnes & Noble Book of the Year Award Nominee
Goodreads Rating: 4.17/5
# of Goodreads Ratings: 2,959,063
Amazon Rating: 4.4/5
# of Amazon Ratings: 360,959
Movie/TV Show?? : Currently in film development stages
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Dual, First Person
Pacing: Slow Start, Faster Finish
Generally: Woman kills her husband, stops talking, therapist arrives at her psychiatric unit six years later to try to help
Blurb:
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. Until one night, when her husband, Gabriel, returns home late from work, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into a mystery that captures the public imagination. And she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit in North London.
Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is captivated by Alicia’s story and jumps at the opportunity to work with her. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband will take him down a path more unexpected and more terrifying than he ever imagined.
My Review
Main Characters:
Theo Faber- Theo is a psychotherapist from London. He had a hard childhood, and has suffered from mental health issues. Now, he is married and successful in his line of work. He likes fixing problems, getting to the bottom of questions, and knowing the truth- no matter the cost.
Alicia Berenson- Alicia is a famous painter from London. Six years ago, she killed her husband. She painted one final time after that. Now, she refuses to speak or paint, and is living in a psychiatric unit. She is often heavily drugged, given her multiple attacks against other members of the unit.
Gabriel Berenson- Gabriel was Alicia’s husband. He was a photographer. Alicia killed him six years ago. He seemed to be a kind husband, and supportive of Alicia.
These were very unique characters. They were the types of characters that drew me it- intrigued me. But they didn’t ever become people that I necessarily was worried or concerned for. I did really appreciate how well built their backgrounds and motives were throughout the book. These characters were very interesting to learn about, but didn’t necessarily make me feel empathetic.
Character Rating: 8.5/10
Setting:
This book takes place in a psychiatric unit called The Grove, in London and in a few smaller, surrounding neighborhoods.
This setting was well described and detailed. It felt very transportive and thorough. The weather was mentioned throughout this book and it was often used to add atmosphere/tension to the plot. I really appreciated this touch- it felt very purposeful. This was a setting unlike any I’ve read before, and I think the author did a great job with this part of the book!
Setting Rating: 10/10
Plot:
This was an amazing plot. It was clearly thorough, purposeful, and exceptionally detailed. I haven’t read many books with such a large spotlight on therapy, and this certainly opened my eyes a bit, without overshadowing the plot. I also enjoyed reading Alicia’s journal entries throughout the book. They supported events going on in the book, and helped give her perspective without breaking her silence.
Plot Rating: 9.9/10
Writing:
I honestly think this book puts Alex Michaelides in my Top Three Best Authors list. He wrote this book with such a strong level of detail, suspense, and intrigue. He clearly added creativity throughout this book in unique and extra ways. For example: Alicia’s journal entries, the underlying topic of weather, the psychology related setting and characters. It was clear to me that this book was meticulously perfected by him. I couldn’t congratulate him and rave about his writing enough. His writing was some of the best I’ve ever read- and I HIGHLY recommend this book, purely because of his exceptional writing abilities.
Writing Rating: 10/10
Ending:
This was one of the most masterfully written endings I’ve ever read. There was quite a large plot twist that flipped every assumption I had made on its head. It was shocking- but made sense once it was presented. I really appreciated this, given many books with large twists can seem like a stretch. This didn’t. The ending wasn’t happy for everyone, but I still felt very content with it. Honestly, I think some sort of sequel would be really cool, but it isn’t necessary.
Ending Rating: 9.8/10
The Overall:
Overall, this book was absolutely FABULOUS and I couldn’t recommend it enough. To start off, the writing was BY FAR some of the best writing I’ve ever read. Alex Michaelides had such detailed, descriptive writing. His writing expressed itself through fabulous setting and plot. They were masterfully written, and hooked me from the start. The ending was also AMAZING. The plot twist was eye-opening and world-changing. I was thoroughly entertained and surprised. My only SLIGHT complaint was the fact that as detailed as the characters were (which I loved so much!!), I couldn’t quite relate or feel too much sympathy for them. But maybe that’s just a me problem. In general, I honestly couldn’t recommend this enough, to literally anyone. This is absolutely a must-read book.
Overall Book Rating: 9.6/10
I would strongly recommend this book
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About the Author:
Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has an M.A. in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide. The rights have been sold in a record-breaking 51 countries, and the book has been optioned for film by Plan B. His second novel, The Maidens, was an instant New York Times bestseller and has been optioned for television by Miramax Television and Stone Village.
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The Maidens
The Fury
View Alex Michaelides’s books on his website: Alexmichaelides.com
Or on Amazon: Alex Michaelides’s Books
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So, was The Silent Patient book worth the hype??
Yes! This book certainly had quite the hype around it, with over 2,000,000 Goodreads ratings, and it was well deserved! The two aspects of this book that I’ve heard hyped up the most are the ending and the writing. And they are both SERIOUSLY deserving. This book had one of the best plot twists I’ve ever read. And the writing….well… it absolutely blew me away. So, yeah! This book completely deserves every bit of its hype.
What did you think of this book??
Reach out below anytime! Whether to share your opinion of this book, comment on mine, ask for similar suggestions, or ask for more clarity/spoilers for this book. I’d love to answer any questions, share more opinions, or hear your thoughts!! Thanks so much!!
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