The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides had such an unexpected twist that I gasped out loud. I won’t reveal the twist in this entry, instead a brief summary of the premise of the book.
Theo is a devoted psychotherapist, and has been intrigued by Alicia Serenson’s case for years. He seizes the job offer to work at the treatment facility where she has been a patient since shooting her husband repeatedly in the face. This murder was more high profile considering Alicia’s well-known work as an artist. Alicia has not said one word since being accused of murder and declared insane. Theo hopes to help Alicia heal and to break her silence.
Meanwhile, we discover that Theo was driven into his field because of his own psychosis as a young man. A devoted therapist helped him overcome his self-loathing and insecurity due to an abusive father. He now works to help others like himself. The story splits between his personal life, in which his wife is having an affair, and his work with Alicia. Theo assumes a detective role as he digs into Alicia’s life (family/friends and her work) to figure out how to help her. He tries to uncover secrets in her final paintings as well. One painting in particular, the Alcestis, provides an extremely interesting framework into her psyche.
After a rocky start working together, Alicia shares her journal with him, and begins to open up more. Before long, an unknown staff member injects her with enough morphine to put her into a medically-induced coma.
A must read to find out how Alicia’s husband was really murdered, and to discover who wants Alicia to stay silent. The workings of the human mind and the connections between art/story made this book riveting to me. I couldn’t put it down!!
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