-By Keziah Charles [BA(JMC) II]
The Silent Patient
The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides is a psychological thriller.The plot depicts how Alicia Berenson, a well known artist lived a seemingly sound life until one day when she suddenly shoots her husband Gabriel – whom she loved from the bottom of her heart . After committing this horrific crime Alicia didn’t utter a single word for ages .Is she astonished or is she hiding something? .The novel moves forward when Theo Faber , a psychotherapist who becomes compelled to unveil the truth behind the puzzling behaviour of Alicia .The suspense will knock your mind out,every time the pages of the novel is turned .Each page tightens its grip on reader’s mind and every line is painted with masterful artistry. ‘ The Silent Patient’ strongly portrayed how Alicia’s childhood trauma shaped her life . As it is rightly said that childhood scars are absorbed into our souls, they are not visible but they last a lifetime . How Theo Faber ‘s character was written is commendable and his dedication to treat his patient as well as to find out the truth behind the mystery was quite impressive, despite being attacked by Alicia several times he was compelled to help her out .The ending was a little bit difficult to digest . I liked how it describes how we sometimes don’t share what’s going on in our heads with our loved ones. As there was something Alicia wanted to tell Gabriel but decided to keep it up to her and this was not at all a good decision. I admired how Alicia ‘ s neighbour helped her with her problems .The novel also has beautifully written lines, like -“unexpressed emotions will never die . They are buried alive, and will come forth later in uglier ways”.
