The Silent Patient By Alex Michaelides

I think the book was OK had I feel like if I was not a mental health therapist, I probably would’ve liked the book better. I was almost positive for the first half of the book that it was set in the 60s to 80s purely due to the hard-on that the narrator/author has with Freud and the psychoanalytical orientation that comes with him (as well as the major ethical and legal violations written in the book—very 80’s mental health vibe). I know that the the author states that he had some training in mental health as well as his own personal experiences with therapy in his book questions and I guess I just worry that this book is not a great example of what therapy can be however as a detective novel and a thriller, I think it was good. The surprises were overall unique and I think it was a fun book to read. I just probably wouldn’t recommend it to any of my friends that are also in the field.

I loved this book. You will never guess the ending!!!!

Lo compré en versión kindle, en el idioma original. No podía parar de leer. Una lectura sencilla y que te atrapa desde las primeras páginas. Final inesperado

I am a student of psychology about to attend my masters program and my oh my did this book scratch an itch that any lover of psychology might have. The writing in this novel is top notch. I loved the characters. The use of a diary to see into the mind of our silent patient, Alicia. I enjoyed the depth at which we followed the therapist Theo. I could feel the cross transference as it was set to happen between Theo and Alicia. It was easy to dive into the madness as it slowly and methodically unfolds. I enjoyed how the weather played a role in the story. I particularly enjoyed the use of parallels with Greek mythology. I found it to be a fantastic way of understanding our character/s. How art itself has a dominant role in the story. Just absolutely phenomenal. I didn’t see the twist until moments before it happened which is so incredibly rare for me. I really appreciate how the author brought the twist to fruition. It was near seemlessly executed. The only hang ups I have with this story is that of Theos wife. I just felt something missing there. I felt we needed maybe a glimpse into her head too. Or more understanding to her motives and behaviors, especially in the endgame. Just feels like something is amiss there. I also wanted a bit more finality to the ending of the story. I have read that the author doesn’t feel done with the character of Theo so I am hopefully we will get more closure than the end gave. But overall, this novel was fantastic. I give it a 9.8 out of 10 stars.

This is a very unique thriller book. I am not going to lie this isn’t usually my cup of tea but I was quite interested. We start the book with the knowledge of who the murderer is so the question throughout the book switched to why instead of who. I really enjoyed the analysis on the characters psyche and others opinions completely mismatching other information provided. I’m sure if you look hard enough you can see the ending long before it comes but I enjoyed the suspense and the putting of pieces together. It’s a quick read once you get into it and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend.

This was a fantastic story. Well developed characters, easy to visualize, plot keeps you interested throughout. I can’t put my finger on what I didn’t enjoy about this, maybe the writing style? While reading I had the hardest time keeping the timeline straight, that became more clear at the end but it just nagged at me the whole time. Would have loved more content from Kathy, she felt like plot fodder – just enough to keep it moving forward. Which is wild because she’s imperative to the actual plot line. I also don’t enjoy it when an entire story blossoms for it to wrap up so violently fast. Would make an excellent installment to a show like “why women kill” with more emphasis on Alicia and a lot less Theo. Don’t regret reading it but won’t be re-reading.