It was nice to read about a ‘asylum’ setting that wasn’t in the classic gothic, horror house manner, but instead covered more contemporary and modern’scary’ concerns. He also comments on the common concerns of overmedication and a lack of financing, as well as the consequences of cutbacks on patients. Michaelides appears to have done his homework on psychology and treatment, employing actual psychological theories and real-life therapeutic procedures to create a realistic picture of a mental health inpatient environment.

The novel is recounted from the perspective of the character Theo Faber, the imperfect and so realistic psychotherapist assigned to Alice. I absorbed page after page, eager to learn each character’s backstory, contribution, and, ultimately, not only “whodunnit?” but “why?”

Suspense and interest rise quickly since the reader is being given a limited amount of information at first. Some riddles wrap your mind from the start, making you doubt if you can genuinely trust your senses. Historically, this is the point at which we, as readers, exclaim, ‘but all is not as it appears…’ Except that nothing is as it appears. But did she actually do it?Įnter Theo Faber, Alice’s last hope, who searches to unearth the truth and help Alice talk again. Alice is convicted of the crime and committed to a forensic mental health centre because she lacks the ability to defend herself. What occurred that night in this idyllic family? A well-known artist and renowned fashion photographer appear to have got all… However, a horrifying shooting of Alice’s partner, Gabriel, causes Alice to take a six-year vow of quiet. The Silent Patient blends together elements of Greek mythology, psychological sciences, and crime to create a web of clues that the reader will enjoy unravelling as a detective. You may have heard of screenwriter Alex Michaelides from his past work on the flicks ‘The Devil You Know’ and ‘The Con Is On.’ Michaelides appears to have easily transitioned from his past themes of crime and secrecy into his first novel, The Silent Patient, an intense and unsettling psychological thriller.

Alcestis painting the silent patient