“You become increasingly comfortable with madness – and not just the madness of others, but your own. We’re all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”
Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient
Alicia Berenson has remained silent following the violent shooting of her husband. With no viable explanation as to why she murdered him, the community is left bewildered – with only imagination fuelling endless speculation.
Enter psychotherapist Theo Faber, whose fascination with Alicia’s case leads him to work with Alicia at the forensic unit she is situated. Theo may be the only one with the skill and determination to get Alicia speaking again. Such an undertaking, however, catches Theo in a consuming web revealing his own obsessions and motivations.
Michaelides’ intriguing premise drives a gripping and twist-filled page-turner. The sharp, succinct prose swiftly builds momentum from its opening pages, taking readers along an electrifying ride. For lovers of dark suspense, mysteries, thrillers, and classic Agatha Christie-style whodunnit (or the now more popular ‘whydunit’) novels, The Silent Patient is unputdownable. Michaelides utilises these tropes well, mirroring the success of recent works such as Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, while paying homage to Freud, Jung, and other contemporaries of the psychoanalytical field.
Reading the Silent Patient reminded me of Derek Simonds’ The Sinner. Season one, a personal favourite of mine, sheds light on the nuances and deep complexities within the human psyche – highlighting the grey areas that lurk beneath the surface. Similarly, Michaelides plays with these murky shades of morality while investigating the mind of a criminal.
Most curiously, Theo claims evil is not born, but rather, created. According to Theo, our childhood experiences and “unseen forces, namely our parents” develop our personalities. Our character is ultimately formed unbeknownst to us: we are products of our past. Research on mental illness lends itself to Gene-Environment interaction. Even so, it is interesting to speculate the extent of our upbringing’s influence on the development of our psyches.
Certain moments were a touch cliché. Michaelides utilizes some obvious red herrings and (almost comical) coincidences to advance the plot. Without treading into spoiler territory, specific aspects of the story felt sensationalised for the sake of the big twist, making character motivations at times cartoonish. The uncluttered writing, while successful at keeping you immersed, felt a little flat and uninspired.
Criticism aside, the psychological detective story navigates through an array of important topics. Michaelides offers a keyhole into the inner workings of psychiatry, and the mental health system at large. The Silent Patient attempts to expose the intricacies of the human condition, and the importance of understanding why; perhaps in the hopes of leading a more unified and actualised life.
Since its release, Michaelides’ debut novel has received much critical acclaim. The Silent Patient was the #1 New York Times Bestseller of Hardcover fiction within the first week of its release and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller in 2019. While the hype is somewhat debatable with the existence of better-written thrillers, The Silent Patient is an easily accessible and enjoyable read, with a kicker of an ending.
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