The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - When the Therapist Is the Most Unsettling Character
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - When the Therapist Is the Most Unsettling Character
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
An unethical psychologist sleuths the secret of the silent psychopath.
A Short Summary:
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides follows Alicia Berenson, a celebrated painter who murders her husband and then never speaks another word. Confined to a psychiatric facility, she becomes an obsession for Theo Faber, a psychotherapist determined to uncover the truth behind her silence. As Theo inserts himself deeper into Alicia’s past—through her journals, her relationships, and the trauma surrounding the crime—the novel unfolds as a psychological puzzle built on unreliable narratives, buried secrets, and the uneasy question of who is truly sane.
My favorite quote: "Once you name something, it stops you seeing the whole of it, or why it matters."Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient
Questions to ponder while reading:
How far would you go to solve a problem?
What are you willing to admit?
My review:
This book is like a slow-motion train wreck; you know something is deeply wrong, but you can’t stop watching. I had to see it through, even as my discomfort grew page by page. What unsettled me most wasn’t the crime itself, but the therapist: unethical, self-serving, and disturbingly blind to his own damage. The twist is clever, yes, but it doesn’t feel smart in a satisfying way; it feels corrosive. By the end, I wasn’t impressed so much as disgusted, which may be precisely the point. The Silent Patient is compulsively readable, but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, forcing you to confront how easily authority, therapy, and narrative control can be abused.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
✨ #TakeTheBackRoads
Enjoyed this post? Support the adventure by visiting my sponsors, shopping the gallery, or buying me a cup of coffee!
A Short Summary:
"Once you name something, it stops you seeing the whole of it, or why it matters."
Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient
Questions to ponder while reading:
How far would you go to solve a problem?
What are you willing to admit?
My review:
This book is like a slow-motion train wreck; you know something is deeply wrong, but you can’t stop watching. I had to see it through, even as my discomfort grew page by page. What unsettled me most wasn’t the crime itself, but the therapist: unethical, self-serving, and disturbingly blind to his own damage. The twist is clever, yes, but it doesn’t feel smart in a satisfying way; it feels corrosive. By the end, I wasn’t impressed so much as disgusted, which may be precisely the point. The Silent Patient is compulsively readable, but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, forcing you to confront how easily authority, therapy, and narrative control can be abused.
_____________________________________________________________________________
About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
✨ #TakeTheBackRoads
Enjoyed this post? Support the adventure by visiting my sponsors, shopping the gallery, or buying me a cup of coffee!
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