BOOK REVIEW: THE SILENT PATIENT BY ALEX MICHAELIDES.

Suppressed emotions come back to haunt us, in unimaginable ways.

EZIOMA KALU.

BLURB

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

MY REVIEW

Like me, if you love reading books on Psychiatry, mental health, psychotherapy, or you love psychological thrillers and mystery, then this book should be next on your TBR list.
A patient, Alicia has refused to speak, just after she’s found beside her husband’s body, and every evidence that she’s the perpetrator of the murder points to her.
She doesn’t speak a word during interrogation, not a word when she’s tried in court, and not a word after that. After concluding that she’s unstable mentally and should be confined in a mental facility, Grove, she maintains her decision not to let a word escape her lips.

There’s so much pain everywhere, and we just close our eyes to it. The truth is we’re all scared. We’re terrified of each other.

Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient.

But a Psychotherapist, Theo, becomes interested in her case and vows to help her. Yes, he wants to help her speak, to tell her own side of the story. And this is where the story becomes interesting.
Will Alicia give in to Theo’s treatment? Will she finally let her tongue loose and speak and redeem herself? Is she the real murderer?

Choosing a lover is a lot like choosing a therapist. We need to ask ourselves, is this someone who will be honest with me, listen to criticism, admit making mistakes, and not promise the impossible?

Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient.

This book highlights on childhood trauma. There are lots of painful things we experience during childhood, that we try so hard to forget and suppress. But there comes a time in adulthood, when all those bottled emotions would be unleashed, and the effect would be drastic.
Both the therapist and patient need saving, from their past, their childhood. They suffer similar anxiety, lack of parental love and affection, and just when they think they have finally gotten their significant others, their lovers who would fill in the gap of the parental love they missed, something happens.

You know, one of the hardest things to admit is that we weren’t loved when we needed it most. It’s a terrible feeling, the pain of not being loved.

Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient.

This book is totally gripping. Michaelides does something to you with it. He opens your eyes and exposes you to a world, where you’d peer into your own childhood and reflect on the things you did and experiences you had.
It teaches you about the mind, how it works, how suppressed emotions come back to haunt us. This book is an eye opener, it is fascinating, it lures you in, and refuses to let go, till you finish devouring the goodness that it is.
And the twist at the end will shock you. Trust me, you won’t ever see it coming. In all, this book is a solid 5/5 for me. I definitely love it.

Have you read the book? What do you feel about it? Please share your thoughts with me in the comment section. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on all social media platforms and share with your friends.
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