Honestly, if not for the club, I may never have read the book.

The club was created two months ago – a product of the lockdown. The ending of this book really makes the read worthwhile and is incredibly well done! I won’t spoil it incase I have any reader’s who wish to pick up the book in the future, but I expect you won’t be too disappointed.This book was suggested to me by the book club created by the residents in the apartment I’m living in. Although, usually for me not warming to the protagonist means I am unlikely to enjoy the book, that wasn’t the case for The Silent Patient, I still really enjoyed the book! I think in this case he is more of a device than he is someone you need to like! I found him quite unlikable and I never really warmed to him, even after learning more about his personal life.

I found that although I was heavily invested in the mystery of the murder and the developments of the narrative, I was less interested in Theo as a character. He is desperate to discover what nobody else has been able to, all whilst dealing with him own problems at home. The novel also makes use of Alicia’s private journal written in the lead up to the murder to provide us as readers with another perspective.Īs the story develops, Theo becomes increasingly involved with her treatment, speaking to relatives, friends and those who saw her around the time of the murder. He is desperate to ‘cure’ Alicia of her silence and get her to open up about the mystery of the murder. Theo Faber, the narrator of the novel is a psychotherapist who having previously worked at Broadmoor treating patients, applies for a position at the Grove.

She is admitted to a psychiatric hospital instead of prison and is treated as if she were mentally unwell. The premise is of a famous artist, Alicia Berenson, who killed her husband, shooting him in the head five times and who upon being arrested for his murder begins a future without speaking. The plot of this book did keep me really engaged, I was desperate to know the next stage of the narrative and I would say it was a real page-turner. I had high expectations, and I would say they were 80% fulfilled! Had I come to this with none it would probably have been a five star read! I really must stop getting my hopes overly excited for a book before I have read them!

If you liked the silent patient