TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | APR 2019 27
BOOK
REVIEW
By Nell Klein
The silent patient
By Alex Michaelides
Every month I receive a list of the best books written by up-and-coming
authors from the website “Goodreads.” The February list included The
Silent Patient in the thriller/mystery category (my fav), so I thought I would
give it a try. Wow! They weren’t kidding when they added this book to their
list! It was a little bit slow to start off, but it quickly became a book that I
didn’t want to put down.
Alicia Berenson is a famous artist, and her husband, Gabriel, is a noted
fashion photographer. They live in London in a seemingly ideal life and are
totally devoted to each other. One night when Gabriel returns home from
work to their up-scale home, Alicia ties him to a chair and shoots him 5
times in the face. Alicia never speaks another word. All the evidence left no
doubt that Alicia killed her husband, but why she killed him is a mystery.
While she was under house arrest awaiting her trial, Alicia painted one
last painting. It was a disturbing self portrait of herself painting on a blank
canvas in the nude, her paint brush dripping red paint (blood?). She titled
the painting Alcestis who is a heroine in Greek myth. After her trial, she
is admitted into the Grove Mental Health facility, a financially struggling
asylum for the criminally insane in North London.
Fast forward six years, and enter Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who is
obsessed with Alicia’s case and wants to get her to talk again so that he
can solve the mystery of why she killed Gabriel. Although he already has a
good job, he manages to acquire a new job at the Grove and soon becomes
Alicia’s therapist. Theo, a happily married man who narrates the book, has
a side story that eventually ties into the book and explains his obsession
with Alicia’s case. Intermingled into the story we read Alicia’s diary entries
that lead up to the murder. As we get closer to Theo’s unraveling of Alicia’s
life and understanding why she did what she did, the less we are prepared
for the totally unexpected ending. The author totally pulled the wool over
my eyes!
The guilty parties in this book are abundant. Among them are Jean-Felix
Martin, who manages a small Soho gallery that displays Alicia’s work. He
makes the controversial decision to display her painting Alcestis to promote
his fledgling business. Then there’s Christian, a former classmate of Theo’s
who also works at the Grove, and seems to have secrets of his own. There
are also some pretty crazy psychos in the asylum that I wouldn’t want to
meet in a dark alley!
A truly excellent first novel for Alex Michaelides which I give 4 roses. The
only problem was the slow beginning, but I can assure you that you won’t
be able to put this one down once you get started. I also love the short
chapters. It’s always easy to say, “Just one more chapter and I’ll be right
with you!” Just keep with it and let me know if you were as surprised at
the ending as I was!
Until next time, read a book. If it’s a good read, pass it on!