"The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides (Review)

The novel opens with a married couple, Alicia Berenson and her husband, Gabriel. Alicia is a famous painter, while her husband is a photographer. On the night of Gabriel's death, neighbors recalled hearing gunshots. Police arrived shortly to find Gabriel slumped on a chair, his wrists tied to the armrests, with gunshot wounds. They find Alicia standing by his lifeless body, and a knife is found lying on the floor. The day after she's discharged from the hospital, she completes a painting and titles it "Alcestis," referring to Euripides's play of the same name. Since the night of her husband's death, she's been silent.

Dr. Theo Farber is a criminal psychotherapist who's assigned to Alicia's case. He also serves as the story's narrator; he's determined to "fix" Alicia, uncovering the mystery of why she shot her husband. The novel alternates between Theo's narrative and entries from Alicia's diary leading up to the murder.

*Spoilers Below

I do not typically read thrillers, but I will admit that this one was a page-turner. I enjoyed reading about Theo learning more about Alicia through key people from her life, such as her brother-in-law, cousin, her gallerist, and a neighbor who confirms that Alicia had a stalker. Through the novel's alternating perspectives, we learn that the perspectives are also two separate timelines that appear to run simultaneously but are separated by years. The twist reveals that Theo is the man who stalked Alicia. Theo discovered his wife, Kathy, was having an affair with Gabriel, and he became resolute to learn about Gabriel. He proceeded by stalking him and Alicia.

I have to admit that I found The Silent Patient misogynistic. The story shifts attention away from Alicia and focuses on Theo. Rather than reading a story about a woman accused of killing her husband and gaining an understanding of what led her to kill, the novel becomes a story about a man determined to punish his wife for her infidelity, where his actions not only inflict pain on his wife but also on an innocent woman.

In her diary entries, Alicia reveals that her brother-in-law sexually assaulted her. Her childhood is marked by tragedy, losing her mother in a car accident and encountering her father's emotional abuse. Though the novel ends with the police finding Alicia's journal, where she exposes Theo, and arresting him, there's no justice for Alicia. She falls into a coma after Theo injects her with morphine in his attempt to silence her permanently. I would have preferred a happier ending for Alicia.

The Silent Patient is a story about control. Theo is an unreliable narrator, manipulating not only the characters but also us as the readers.