The front piece of this novel indicates that it is the author's first book. It certainly indicates a promising future for Mr Michaelides as the theme chosen is quite an interesting one. Alicia Berenson is a famous painter; married and quite well to Gabriel who has made a name for himself as a world class fashion photographer. The couple live in a fancy house, have plenty of money and seem to be quite happy.

Suddenly, and seemingly out of the blue Gabriel returns home from a fashion shoot and is shot in the face five times by Alicia. When questioned by the police she does not say a word. And silent she remains even when she is shut away in "The Grove" a secure forensic unit in the northern part of London. There she stays, completely silent, until Theo Faber a criminal psychotherapist obtains a position at The Grove with the avowed purpose of treating Alicia.
The idea of the book is a good one and should be a terrific read except for Mr Michaelides' propensity to drag things out. His idea for an ending is not telegraphed but also seemingly one out of the blue that makes the end a complete surprise for the reader. It also does not make good sense for the reader looking for the one and one make two type of ending. Based on the idea upon which the novel is based and the author's ability to frame situations quite well it occurs to me that his books should be looked for. The fumble that I see in this book is of course my own opinion, but does not detract from the promise Mr Michaelides shows with his cogent approach and should be evidenced in future novels.

Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to a handsome fashion photographer. His style involves shooting semi-naked, semi-starved models in strange unflattering angles. They live in a splendid house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable neighbourhoods. Nice happy couple,right! One evening husband Gabriel comes home and Alicia shoots him five times in the face. This is when Alicia becomes The Silent Patient.

Her lack of communication of any form turns this domestic tragedy into an even more enticing mystery while casting Alicia into public notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

You will be trapped with this psychological thriller where there are many unexpected twists and turns. The story takes the reader down some dark, disturbing, paranoid and unsettling avenues in search of the truth.

I foresee Silent Patient to be a best seller. it. If you are a fan of slow burning, psychological thrillers this is your book. Prepare to be dazzled.

I must confess; I have sinned. The Silent Patient is the reason I have sinned; the reason I was gluttonous.

My sinning began at page one, yes - it was there that I found myself gorging, gulping, slurping down every sentence, devouring page after page until I reached the end. I know I should feel remorseful but the only feeling I’m left with upon completion of The Silent Patient is that of pure satisfaction.

The Silent Patient is a staggering, twisted, satisfying and savory read. It’s yet another read that I’m dubbing a must read for 2018. The ending is one that you’ll never see coming! 5+stars for The Silent Patient!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

**4 Goodreads Stars (3.5 stars rounded up)**

Alex Michaelides' The Silent Patient begins with a fascinating psychiatric case: a woman, Alicia Berenson, has gone completely silent - refusing to utter a single word - after being accused and convicted of brutally murdering her husband. Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, hears of her story and decides he will take a risky job at a failing psychiatric institution to try to break Alicia's silent spell.

Theo's work is complicated by drama taking place between himself and his wife. His wife is growing more and more distant from him, which results in Theo plunging himself even deeper into his work at the institution. As his home life unravels, he discovers that some of the doctors at the institution have suspicious connections to Alicia and her now deceased husband, connections that may shed more light on what happened the night Alicia supposedly killed her husband.

I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, and the characters, at times, felt flat or disingenuous. What kept me reading was wanting to know what happened the night Alicia murdered her husband and if she truly did commit the act. I was leaning towards a 3 star review, but the final twist of the book (and discovering how the characters were all connected) made me round the score up to a 3.5/4 stars.

Thank you to the author, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of The Silent Patient.

Ugh I wish so badly I could say the main character is someone you love to hate, but I just hate him. I’ve not decided yet on a rating for this book bc after having just finished it, I’m still too upset to rate it clearly. The book itself is a good book. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley I did receive an ARC. I really did like the way the book was written, so I know I have to let my disappointment and resentment slide and accept how things turned out. I wouldn’t have such a visceral reaction if the book wasn’t deeply touching my psyche, right? Perhaps I should ask Theo about that for a professional psychoanalytical deceleration....

This one kept me guessing from page one - I am deeply critical of thrillers because I find that largely most of them just don't do it for me, but I can tell already that this puppy is going to be the new gold standard for thrillers in 2019. What an intriguing story about psychology and what makes us deeply flawed humans.

If you love a good psychological thriller then this is a must read. It sucks you in on page one, and spits you out on the last page. Wow!

Alicia Berenson killed her husband and then went silent. She hasn't spoken for years while housed at The Grove, a forensic clinic in London. Theo Faber, a psychotherapist with a huge ego is determined to cure Alicia's silence through one on one and art therapies, but maybe it's really him that could use the therapy, he has a lot of secrets at home that he's hiding from everyone, will they catch up to him before he cures Alicia and the Grove closes?

I don't even know where to start about this book. It was so good. I thought I knew what was happening and then wham, out of nowhere, the biggest most intriguing twist of all time happens. Alex Michaelides writes this like he's been writing thrillers for years, but to think this is just his debut, I am ecstatic at the prospect that there will be more from him.

I immediately put it on our must buy list for my library!

A fantastic psychological thriller that builds to a crescendo and then throws in a twist that you don't see coming. Well done!

A brilliantly beautiful and eternally haunting work.

The novel oscillates between Theo Faber's point-of-view and diary entries of Alica Berenson's; a clever mix that allows the reader intimate knowledge of the characters and both sides of the story. This juxtaposition also works to slowly ease the reader towards the terrifying conclusion clouded in a false sense of security before jumping out behind a tree and scaring the bejesus out of every unsuspecting sap that decided to pick this work up. Don't get me wrong! It is absolutely worth it and is so incredibly well done that you'll be quickly recommending it to friends and foes alike! Don't worry about the tremble in your hands as you lend the work over, those are just aftershocks.

Amazing, terrifying, and an incredible thrill ride from start to finish.

After Alicia Berenson is brought to trial for shooting her husband, Gabriel, to death at their home, she's remanded into psychiatric care at the Grove, an old facility in North London that's about to be shut down. Her trial ended with this decision because it could not continue -- Alicia refused to speak. She was frozen, immobile, non responsive. It was said that she had a long history of mental illness. It's 6 years later, now, and Alicia still has not spoken a word. Enter Theo Faber -- a 42-year-old forensic psychotherapist. He is convinced that he's uniquely qualified to help Alicia Berenson to tell her story and to get well. In short, he seems almost obsessed about her. NO SPOILERS.

This psychological thriller is quite complex and though slow to start, once it gets going, the tale is very compelling. Sometimes a bit hard to follow, the reader knows that there's something very strange going on at the Grove. And a great deal wrong with certain people who work there. In addition, as Theo seeks out those who knew Alicia before her husband died, some disturbing information comes to light. Then, there's Alicia's diary. Either some folks are lying or Alicia is more messed up than anyone knew. Will Alicia ever speak to Theo and can he help her? The conclusion may surprise you!

I enjoyed this debut and will definitely look for future books by this author. Thank you to Edelweiss and Celadon Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was a
really good debut thriller that kept me guessing all the way to the end!

Alicia Berenson is a popular artist pushed to the brink of her sanity which ends with her husband dead from her hands. After this, she refuses to speak and becomes the silent patient in a mental health facility. Theo is a psychotherapist that is fascinated with her case. Determined to hear her speak again, he gets a job at her facility and gets assigned to her case despite the fact that he is wrestling with his own demons. But can he handle the truth of what she has to say if she does decide to talk? And how far will he go to keep her silent again?

The Silent Patient is certainly a thriller that is going to become an instant blockbuster. And with good reason.
The story follows Theo Faber, a psychiatrist who is eager for the chance at working one-on-one with Alicia Berenson, an artist who murders her husband and then, in the aftermath, refuses to speak even a word. Her silence is startling and puzzling--surely the sign of a significant mental breakdown--and even more evidence that Alicia is guilty. The question Theo struggles to have answered (in attempting to get her to speak) is why she murdered her husband, whom she loved beyond measure? What does Alicia Berenson have to say?
The story is told from Theo's perspective and occasionally the reader is treated to a diary entry from Alicia Berenson.
This is a beautiful novel that explores the dynamic between therapist and patient--and what the darker components of the human mind are capable of. It is a twisting story, one that surprises and startles.
This is a psychological thriller that is paranoid, disturbing, thrilling, and mind-blowing. The last half of the book begs to be read in a single-sitting. An intelligent and hair-raising story that I won't forget for a long, long time.
Thanks you to NET GALLEY for an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a book to add to your MUST READ ASAP lists!

Wait, what?! This is one plot twist I never saw coming. As some reviewers have noted, the first half of the book can get a bit clinical - but trust that the author knows where he's taking you, the reader. Fascinating in it's complexity.

This novel could be called psychological thriller or a murder mystery.

We follow Theo, a psychotherapist, who is interested in Alicia, a woman who murdered her husband (at least that's what the police believes and what the press says). As he wants to help her to recover from this tragedy, he gets hired at the Grove, a psychiatric institution, where justice has decided that she should be treated. But Alicia refused to talk to anyone for six years after the murder. Determined to make her speak, Theo investigates on her past as a good detective would do. He interrogates those who know Alicia best and who saw her shortly before this dramatic event.

The whole story revolves around this investigation and Theo's effort to be fully accepted as his personal therapist and have his approaches and methods respected. But little by little, he (and us in the process) discovers what his patient's life history was. At the same time, we learn a little more about Theo's difficult childhood and his relationship with his wife. We can't help but see disturbing similarities between his life history and Alicia's. And, by the way, that's what he says to her in the middle of the novel: "Without wishing to disclose too much, you and I experienced similar kinds of childhoods, with similar kinds of fathers." And the further we go in the story, Theo seems as much psychologically disturbed as Alicia. And when he finally manages to make her talk, the roles between him and her slowly reverse.

Anyway, the ending was a surprise to me and it will certainly be to most of you. And even for the genius who will have guessed everything, the whole novel will still have been a pleasurable reading for them too.

I didn't know this author, but I will check the box to follow him as I do for my other favorite authors so I won't miss his next book. I therefore recommend this novel to all those who are interested by investigative or psychological novels and even to those who are interested only in whodunits.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an eArc of this great novel.

Alicia had the perfect life until she killed her husband Gabriel. Since his murder she has not spoken a word. Why? Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, is obsessed with Alicia and why she doesn't speak. Why? This dark and twisty story keeps you reading and asking whose story can you trust.

Absolutely exceptional!!!!

Once you get this in your hands, cancel all appointments. Turn off your phones. Forget social media until you are done reading this. Get comfortable because once you start this, you will not stop.

More complete review closer to publication date.

Thank you Celadon Books and Rachel Chou of Celadon as well as NetGalley for the advance digital ebook!!

I'd heard this compared to THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, which I loved. I came away from it feeling disappointed. For me, THE SILENT PATIENT had none of the elements that made THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW such a compelling read. The plot was light, the characters not particularly interesting, and the one twist at the end was something I'd actually guessed halfway through. I must tell you, I'm not even very good at guessing twists. This one was just too obvious. I can't figure out why there's such hype surrounding this book. It isn't terrible by any means. It's just not the standout that I expected.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fascinating novel with a shady cast of characters and a plot with many unexpected and delicious twists - just the kind of book to read when you have all night. This psychological thriller follows Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, who gets caught up in trying to reach a woman who is accused of murdering her husband. Painter Alicia Berenson, an accomplished painter, has not spoken a word since she was arrested and subsequently sent away to a mental institution. How the truth is unraveled is a winding path which will reveal motivations never imagined. A great read!