The Silent Patient

Exceptional, gripping, a real page turner. One of the best books I've read for a while. I loved the pace, style and thriller nature of this book. Loved the twist and conclusion, superb!

So overall we had some good discussions.

I can see why it was a gripping read as long as one didn’t think too much into it and I think because most read it so quickly there wasn’t time to do that. I do think the author achieved what is needed for a gripping psychological thriller which sells including the ‘not put down factor’ and a twist or several twists for the reader.

As far as making sense I’m not so sure the book entirely did that but most seemed forgiving of this as they were fairly small points in the grand scheme of things especially since this was a fairly quick read.

What was the motive of Theo going to the Grove? Well we weren’t really sure why he went- was it for curiosity or guilt It was 6 years after the event which meant that he had been with Kathy for at least 6 years after her affair with Gabriel and untimely death and he hadnt even confronted her! Weird or what?

And as a psychoanalyst wouldn’t he just get why someone may have killed and then become silent and anyway he knew Alicia’s husband was cheating on her? I mean the circumstances he left Alicia and Gabriel in-wasnt it obvious that the events that followed were inevitable? Does one have to have a traumatic past to act like Alicia did?

Anyway Alicia is a smart cookie - she immediately recognises Theo and proceeds to attack him. Theo becomes the detective and proceeds to follow leads that the police and/or his colleagues should have followed. Surely as psychiatrists and psychoanalysts one would want to know these things and would do your research. Anyway we are under the impression that Theo is here to ‘rescue’ Alicia and snap her out of her silence but then we are also led to think that the murderer may be someone else and if so who? The other characters introduced in the story aren’t developed enough to be viable suspects however. They just seem to be thrown in haphazardly.

What we do find out is that Theo triggered Alicia into this state- perhaps he is feeling guilty and wants to assure himself that he is not responsible for Alicia’s situation or is he just curious or does he liken Alicia to Kathy? Not sure if this was ever made clear.

Also not sure if Theo is a reliable narrator- surely he can’t be telling the truth at the end (after being caught trying to kill Alicia) when trying to justify his actions. Do we believe his reasons? Did he in fact need to kill Alicia? Is she dead? Wasn’t he there to rescue her? Or was he there to gloat like Alicia states in her last diary entry? Seems like Theo is really messed up after he found his wife cheating on him and is behaving irrationally. Why does the author imply he has an attraction to Alicia but then the next morning he is trying to kill her? So what if she recognises him- after all he didnt kill Gabriel.

Other things that didnt make sense for me and some of the group and weren’t tied up at the end included not being able to take a lighter into the Grove for fear of fire yet so many lit their cigarettes. The wire around Alicia’s wrists and ankles wasn’t sufficiently explained- how did the police not investigate this properly?
Most in the group said Alicia wasn’t justified in killing Gabriel even if she had past trauma but imo I think she was- you just find out your husband is having an affair and he sentences you to die and there is a gun right next to you! Even someone without trauma from their past would want to kill their husband would they not? 🤷‍♀️ We only know when we reach that line I suppose - easy to say a ‘normal’ person wouldn’t make that call, we’ve not walked in their shoes. The author however has already given us clues that Alicia and Gabriel’s marriage isn’t going well- she cannot capture the sparkle he once had in his eyes when she paints him and she crucifixes him in her painting. Also it was odd that their relationship was more of a physical one rather than an emotional one. But to have it confirmed that your relationship has broken down by a stranger and being condemned to die by your husband that’s another story🤷‍♀️

Oh yes despite the lethal dose of morphine Alicia is given at the end she is miraculously able to write a very long diary entry which is more of a monologue than an entry- a mish mash of both in fact and actually how reliable is it- surely she cannot be thinking straight? Would be good to get the perspectives of any doctors on the group. And she had time to hide the diary in such a ‘clever’ hiding place that even the police did not find it- surely as this was a crucial bit of evidence to convict Christian they would have searched high and low for it? And the gun-it is never clear how Theo found it!
And why is poor Christian the scapegoat-the author surely should have given us more backstory to this. If Theo was the good guy who wanted to save Alicia then why drop Christian in on it- is that what he wanted to do all along? Get rid of Alicia and Christian?

Yes it starts off as Theo being the husband who wants to get his revenge on Gabriel but ends with him being the psychopath. And what does Alicia mean when she says ‘that’s not what I need from you?’ Does she blame Theo for Gabriel’s death? And her own? Also Theo must really be twisted if he is still with Kathy 6 years later and teases her of events that have happened at the Grove to see if she’ll admit to her affair with Gabriel- seems she is now his patient and he is somehow wanting to ‘fix her’.

A satisfactory ending or not?- many in the group said they would have liked a conclusion where at least Alicia gets the help she deserved and some clearer answers as to what Theo’s motive was in all this.

I’m still confused about what the plot was and what the conclusions were even after our discussions. Yes the author got the formulae right to sell books and most of us found it gripping and enjoyable but I’m not sure about anything else- too many loose ends and flaws and characters not really developed enough….

Ratings out of 5 were as follows
4,2,3,3,3,3,3,4,3,3,3,2
Average of 3/5
Most of the 3s started off as 4s before discussions but then reduced their rating.

Wow. This book had a fantastic twist at the end. I was gripped from the start to the end. A must read for anyone.

St Just Thursday Evening Reading Group 2nd December 2021.

The silent patient. Alex Michaelides.

The majority of comments about this book made two points: firstly, it was a ‘page-turner’ – an intriguing story-line and an easy writing style, the whole thing holding the attention and inviting curiosity as to the outcome; and secondly, the readers were horrified about the therapist’s lack of professionalism and the extraordinary way in which the Secure Psychiatric Unit was run.

The latter point was the setting for the manipulation of the reader and the main plot twist, which was also mentioned in this discussion; some people found this very clever, others were annoyed about it, and one or two mentioned that it involved some suspension of disbelief (for instance, the forensic psychotherapist walks into the secure unit on day one, is handed keys and codes, and is given no induction or security clearance, all of which seem unlikely in a modern setting). The behaviour and monitoring of the patients was also highly questionable. In connection with this, one reader found the first three quarters of the book poorly written with too many cliches, stereotyped characters and incorrect grammar. However, nearer the end of the book she wondered whether it was the author who was writing in cliches and stereotypes, or was it the narrator? Someone else echoed this thought by saying that she disliked the language in which the book was written – very violent and with too many expletives – and then realised that this was the flawed character speaking. In general readers liked the plot twist at the end, finding it took them by surprise, and commenting that it was a well-constructed plot and intelligible to the reader. It seems that most people were impressed with this, though some had reservations.

There were also some opposing views: one reader said she really enjoyed it, thought all the ends were tied up well, and liked the plot and the events of the story; well edited, clever, and not unnecessarily complex. Another thought that ultimately, finding that someone has committed a murder just because of their insanity, is not very realistic or interesting. A third commented that she felt ‘ambivalent’ about the book.

More than one reader thought that this was quite a good read, an absorbing story with an unusual element to it, and rather clever but slightly nasty. This book was the author’s debut novel, and is to be made into a film (one reader did mention that she thought it would make a good movie), but no one expressed particular interest in reading any more of his titles.

This book was read during November 2021 and the continuing restrictions due to the Covid-19 virus, and so the discussion was not 'live' as usual, but took place via a Facebook group, email and telephone conversations.

I would highly recommend! This is the first book that has stopped me from putting it down in a long time- I needed to find out what was happening. It is so full of shocking twists- I thought I had figured it out on several occasions but no. This book did not disappoint!

The Silent Patient

Is a thriller really well written, I enjoyed reading this as it a quick page turner.

It is based on a murder and the wife is accused of killing her husband.

The forensic psychotherapist makes it his mission to get her to talk and find out who has killed her husband.

A really good read

Loved this book thought it was amazing I would thoroughly recommend it, couldn’t put it down.