Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
An enticing, fast-paced thriller of murder, deceit and generational trauma.
The only things that are crystal clear from the outset of The Silent Patient are that Alicia Berenson’s husband, Gabriel, has been killed and the widow has remained silent ever since, conjuring up the question of did she do it? Or didn’t she? After being submitted to The Grove, a psychiatric unit, it is lead protagonist Theo Faber – Alicia’s psychotherapist-  who assists the reader in getting to the bottom of this dark, unsolved case.
It's been an intention of mine for a while as a reader to immerse myself into thrillers. Having felt let down by previous books I have read in the genre, I’ve been somewhat reluctant to continue to attempt to branch out further. Thankfully, The Silent Patient has been on my to-be-read list for a while and by no means did it disappoint.
Michaelides’ ability to create purposeful, nuanced characters is genuinely fascinating to the point where every individual within the novel has their respective intentions questioned by the reader pertaining to what their involvement may – or may not – be in Gabriel Berenson’s murder. This even applies to the many secondary characters, the presence of who maintains absolute necessity, causing the reader to bare each one in mind with a dubious outlook on their innocence.
From a purely reading perspective, I found the pacing of The Silent Patient to be one of its best components; not only does Michaelides’ writing unfold with a consistent urgency but is complexly sectioned into chapters in a way that delves into each sub-narrative with thoroughness, conveying their strength as standalone accounts as well as their vitality to the overall plot. Switching between the  perspectives of Theo Faber and Alicia Berenson, the latter of which we learn of through diary entries, is an interesting way in which to discover their mindsets and objectives whilst repeatedly provoking the reader to second guess what the actual truth will transpire as.
Notably, the novel’s twist has been celebrated since its release in 2019 with many believing it to be one of the best; I don’t necessarily disagree with this. However, the actual twist itself did not shock me. As layered as the plot is, it feels inevitable that first-time readers will not be kept fully in the dark until the final stages of the book. That being said, it is the intricacies of the twist that really elevates The Silent Patient above many novels that may be found in the ‘You May Also Like’ section of various bookselling websites.
Alex Michaelides’ debut novel suggests a promising writing career of longevity and loyal readership. If his second novel The Maidens and any future releases prove to be anything like The Silent Patient, I will forever be a returning customer with a changed mindset on the power and potential of the thriller genre.