The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This psychological thriller made me spill my wine. This book kept me captivated the entire time, and just when I thought I knew how it would end, oh boy, was I wrong.

This cringe-worthy story of a famous painter, Alicia Berenson, who had it all a beautiful house, a lovely husband and one night, she decides to shoot him in the face five times. After that, she refuses to speak again. Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, makes it his mission to try and get Alicia to talk again and understand why she stopped in the first place.

This book's writing kept me intrigued from the first few chapters. As the plot grew, I found myself trying to figure out Alicia, putting myself in Theo's position, and attempting to understand why or if she committed this terrible act. Her character was described and understood when the POV switched from Theo's to her diary. Although this transition wasn't consistent, it felt like it happened enough times to explain what she was thinking and keep you wondering what would come next.

When you figure out the twist, which could be two different specific places in the novel, you will either miss the tell in part three or spill your wine as I did in the more prominent spot. Going back and rereading it, I picked up signals that I should've got if I weren't so obsessed with finding out the ending the first time I read it.

I don't really have any quarrels with this novel. It is well written; the twist isn't too obvious, and it was engaging. However, I wondered how the different things in Theo's life would pull together and make or break the ending.

This book also dealt with mental health struggles, and I think this is always important to discuss if possible. It might not have been the traditional way, but Michaelides states that he has been to therapy, and he wanted the book to resemble what therapy actually looked like.

I would give this book 4.5/5.