This is part of my Summer Reads series where I’ll be sharing book recommendations – a series of “not just cookbooks”.
This week’s #summerreads pick is from a few years ago – and I can’t remember who recommended it or where I read about it to thank them! I have so many “want to read” lists – on both GoodReads and the Toronto Public Library website and those lists don’t allow notes as in “Person A recommended this” which would be handy! In any case, THANK YOU to whoever recommended this fantastic read – I could not put it down!
From the publisher:
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.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into 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.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.
If I’m being completely honest, I will admit that, after the start, it took me a couple of chapters to get into (it’s ok, they are relatively short and there are lots of them!) but after the first hundred or so pages, the (dual) plots started to fly along. On the one hand, there’s the mystery of Gabriel’s murder and his relationship with Alicia, and on the other, Theo’s complicated home life that you have an inkling will somehow become a part of the other plot.
I really enjoyed the parts of the book dealing with the psychology of Alicia’s silence – I was worried that this might take over the book with medical/ neuro jargon for the sake of it but it was seamlessly incorporated into the plot. Just when I thought I had things figured out, another twist would come along – it kept me on the edge of my (airline) seat for hours on end! A fast-paced, well-written thriller with lots of suspense and a HUGE plot twist at the end (that I didn’t see coming) made for the absolute perfect summer read. This would make an excellent film too!
Buy The Silent Patient on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country).
For free worldwide shipping, find The Silent Patient on Blackwell’s.
Support your local Indie bookstore and purchase The Silent Patient on Bookshop.org.
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links for Blackwell’s and Bookshop.org. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
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