The Silent Patient Review (Spoiler-Free): Alex Michaelides, 4.2/5
The Silent Patient is Alex Michaelides' debut psychological thriller about a famous painter who shoots her husband and then never speaks another word, and the psychotherapist determined to get her to talk. This is a spoiler-free review: the setup, what worked for me, the content warnings (this one is dark and written for adults), and who might want to skip it. My rating: 4.2/5.
Jump to: My verdict (4.2/5) · Content warnings · Who might want to skip it · Who should read it · Where to buy
My sketch notes for The Silent Patient.
Quick verdict
- Book: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- Genre: Psychological thriller
- My rating: 4.2/5
- Best for: Readers who love psychological thrillers
- Content warnings: Murder and gun violence, self-harm and suicide attempts, mental illness, violence and more (full list below)
- Who might want to skip it: Anyone who'd rather avoid the topics above, or who wants twists they can't see coming (details below)
- In one line: It started with a good pace and the characterisation is perfect, but I knew the twists were coming.
Disclosure: Some links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
See The Silent Patient on Amazon India →
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The Silent Patient at a glance
| Author | Alex Michaelides (his debut novel) |
|---|---|
| First published | 5 February 2019 (Celadon Books) |
| Setting | London, mostly The Grove, a secure forensic psychiatric unit in North London |
| Series | Standalone novel |
| Edition I link to | Orion paperback (15 July 2019), 352 pages. Page counts vary by edition. |
| Content warnings | Murder and gun violence, self-harm and suicide attempts, mental illness, violence and more (see below) |
| My rating | 4.2/5 |
Facts per the Amazon.in listing, the publisher, Macmillan (Celadon Books), and Hachette India (the Orion edition).
What is The Silent Patient about?
Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to Gabriel, an in-demand fashion photographer. One evening, when he comes home late from a shoot, she shoots him five times in the face. After that, she never speaks another word.
Her silence turns the case into a mystery, and she is kept away from the tabloids at The Grove, a secure psychiatric unit. Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, has waited a long time to work with her, and he's determined to get her to talk and find out why she did it. That's all I'll say, to keep this review spoiler-free.
What works: the pace and the characters
- The pace. It started with a good pace.
- The characterisation. The characterisation is perfect.
- For psychological thriller fans. If you love psychological thrillers, this one is a good pick.
What might not work for some readers
It was a bit predictable for me: I knew the twists were coming. If you love being surprised, that could take a little off the experience.
Content warnings
The Silent Patient is a dark thriller written for adults. Readers and databases commonly flag the following, and some scenes are graphic:
- Murder and gun violence, including a graphic crime scene
- Violence, including violent incidents inside a psychiatric unit
- Self-harm, suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts
- Mental illness and forced psychiatric confinement
- Childhood abuse and trauma (in characters' pasts)
- Infidelity
- Stalking
- Emotional abuse and manipulation
- Drug use (cannabis) and alcohol
- Sexual content (not graphic)
- Strong language
Sources: reader-submitted warnings on The StoryGraph, Book Trigger Warnings and Common Sense Media, which rates it 15+ and calls it a thriller written for adults. The author hasn't submitted his own warnings on StoryGraph, so please check them if you're unsure.
Who should read The Silent Patient?
- You love psychological thrillers.
- You like a story that starts at a good pace.
- You care about well-drawn characters. For me, the characterisation is perfect.
Who might want to skip it
- You'd rather avoid stories with murder, self-harm, suicide attempts, mental illness or violence (see the content warnings above).
- You want a thriller with twists you can't see coming. I knew they were coming.
- You're looking for a read for younger teens. Common Sense Media rates it 15+.
My verdict
A psychological thriller that started with a good pace and has perfect characterisation, even if it was a bit predictable for me. I gave it 4.2/5, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves psychological thrillers. Did you see the twists coming too?
Where to buy
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides on Amazon India → · US readers: Amazon.com (affiliate link, see the disclosure above). Check the listing for the current price and edition details.
My sketch inspired by The Silent Patient.
Similar reads on this blog
If you like psychological thrillers where you can't be sure who to trust, these are good next stops:
- My spoiler-free review of Verity by Colleen Hoover: another dark psychological thriller, and another one where I knew the twist was coming.
- 10 Thrillers With Twists You Won't See Coming: more spoiler-free picks with a big reveal, including The Silent Patient.
- 8 Domestic Thrillers Where the Real Danger Is at Home: spoiler-free picks about families with secrets.
- My spoiler-free review of The Only One Left by Riley Sager: another twisty thriller I loved.
I like to jot down my thoughts on every book I read. If you do too, my Reading Journal has space for your rating and notes.
Follow me on Instagram @abi._.rambler and see my Linktree for every book I've read.
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