A classic British psychological thriller

Is it odd to call “The Silent Patient” a British psychological thriller? Well it seemed very British to me, it screamed psychological thriller, and it’s a novel that I think we’ll all be reading for many years to come.

The plot

Based on Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who is married to fashion photographer, Gabriel, she has it all. That is, until, one evening, she shoots her husband five times in the face. Since the crime, Alicia decides to earn her name as The Silent Patient – she refuses to talk, completely.

Many psychologists attempt to get her talking, but with no such luck.

Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, has always wanted the opportunity to work with Alicia and get her talking. The opportunity to work with Alicia presents itself to him, and that is the start of a journey for Theo.

But the question remains, will Theo manage to get Alicia to reveal why she did what she did?

Meticulous, smart, unputdownable, suspenseful

I’ll try not to ruin this one for you.

It’s hard because all I want to do is admire the clever writing, which I can’t do without revealing something about this book… but I mustn’t.

So, what can I say about this one without ruining it?

It’s easy to read. I found it really simple to get through. You’re able spectate the story and let it unfold. You can really focus on what is going on and analyse each character as they’re introduced and as they develop.

It’s worth mentioning you will be very paranoid reading this, suspecting everyone and everything.

The plot is intriguing. As you can see above, the plot is different.

Straight away there’s doubts about a seemingly perfect relationship. But then what if it was a happy relationship, then what? How does an innocent man get killed? Worst of all, why did his wife kill him? It’s all too much.

There’s layers to this book. The main plot line is great, but there’s layers to this one. Great layers, like a Victoria Sponge!

You will feel on edge at time. Sometimes you can feel a chill down the spine reading this one. It’s intense at points.

For someone who can’t talk, Alicia as a character is fascinating. There’s so much to her, she’s an enthralling character who you can’t help but admire and be terrified of.

It’ll leave you gobsmacked. Well, I was on the bus when I was left reeling at one particular moment… and that’s all I can say on that.

A great read, my first 5 star novel in some time!

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