The Silent Patient: A Loud Literary Impact
Writer | Aleena Nabeel Mir
As part of Medianaama’s 2021: A Year in Review, where the sea of entertainment content is so vast it makes a week feel like a year; sometimes our audience unfortunately doesn’t get the chance to read, watch or hear the latest entertainment content. Nevertheless, no need not despair, as I will be taking the time out to review “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides.
(SOURCE: Goodreads)
“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive, and will come forth later, in uglier ways”
This quote by Sigmund Freud as part of an excerpt from the book is the very soul and a pivotal part of “The Silent Patient”. To elaborate, the story centers around two main protagonists, the first Alicia Berenson. A talented painter living an idyllic life in north London with her husband Gabriel (a famous photographer) until she shoots him in the head five times. Since she is mentally unstable (the justification given by the authorities) she attempts to end her own life after shooting her husband by slitting her wrists. From there, she is sent to a secure psychiatric facility known as the Grove, where she does not utter a single syllable for six years.
That seems like awfully long time to remain silent, nevertheless, the intrigue doesn’t halt there. Our next main protagonist, Theo Faber, the somewhat tortured psychotherapist with a painful past is convinced that he can help Alicia and find out why she shot her husband all those years ago.
This psychological thriller was an absolute chart topper when it was released in 2019 and still remains relevant today as a major film production is in the works. When it was published 2019 it became the #1 book on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling list as well as a GoodReads Choice 2019 Winner.
All the well-deserved praise and admiration goes to author Alex Michaelides. Originally from Cyprus, Michaelides has a master’s degree in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge and a master’s degree in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Despite “The Silent Patient” being his debut novel, his Greek heritage and masterful skill in writing can be seen when he impeccably combines Greek mythology and psychotherapy together to create an explosive mystery.
(Source: AFI)
REVIEW
*For those who have not read the book, SPOILERS ahead*
Reading this for the first time, I was drawn to the effortless writing style, Michaelides was a methodical panther patiently waiting to strike with a twist that practically slapped you on the face.
Michaelides starts the novel with a slow burn, establishing the facts. Nevertheless as soon as Theo starts working at the Grove and interacting with Alicia, this is where the tone and the pace accelerate and change dramatically. What was most mesmerizing about this novel was how immersive it was; you wouldn’t have to read the author's biography at the end to tell that a screenwriter wrote the novel, it was so easy as a reader to visualize the story.
While Theo Faber spends much of the story trying to uncover the reason why Alicia shot her husband and chose to not speak about it, he himself remains hidden amongst the shadows, his critical details only being revealed piece by piece like an intricate puzzle as the novel progresses.
The other pieces of the puzzle can only be found and understood through Alicia’s diary entries which were intermixed amongst the chapters from Theo’s perspective. Having these diary entries allowed me as a reader to truly understand Alicia’s fragile state of mind and what led to her undoing. Michaelides beautifully and strategically uses the diary entries to establish the pace and tone of the novel, for instance, as the climax approaches the entries become more frequent and frantic.
Alicia constantly discusses in the entries that she is convinced that she is being stalked by someone: Jean-Felix her gallerist, who is upset that she is switching galleries, her adopted brother-in-law, Max Berenson who is wildly jealous of her husband and tried to assault her or finally her cousin, Paul, who needs money to resolve a gambling debt. To Alicia, all three men have a motive to stalk and bother her. However, it isn’t until the twist is revealed that it is realized that Michaelides cares far more about the why of the narrative than the who and the what. Thus, when the twist is unveiled almost three quarters through, the multiple timelines seamlessly intertwined are brought to light.
Initially, a false illusion is created that all of Theo’s chapters are written in the present tense. Nonetheless, when Theo discovers that his wife, Kathy, is cheating on him and sets out to find out who her lover is, he finds himself at Alicia’s house watching her and Gabriel together. Exposing the mystery stalker as Theo and Kathy’s lover as none other than Alicia’s ‘loving’ husband Gabriel.
When I read the chapter on the twist for the first time, I was in a state of utter shock and disbelief. Fidgeting and confused, I reread the final paragraph multiple times to acknowledge that I was unknowingly reading two timelines together and that actually the true psychopath was the ‘heroic’ psychotherapist himself, Mr. Theo Faber.
As already mentioned before, Michaelides combines Greek mythology and fundamental ideologies of psychotherapy in way that is its surprisingly both understandable and relatable to the reader. This is another area of the book which I really appreciated; such complex stories and principles were written in such way that made me wonder as a reader if I had experienced anything similar.
Another crucial part of the book is the Greek tragedy play by Euripides, “Alcestis”. After Alicia is sent to the Grove she paints one final painting, a nude self-portrait, named “Alcestis”. The story is about a woman named “Alcestis” who sacrifices her life to save her husband’s. When she is later resurrected, she becomes mute as she realizes that her husband had in fact betrayed her.
In Alicia’s case, this is also a direct parallel of her life; when Theo ties Alicia and Gabriel, he asks Gabriel if he should shoot him or Alicia instead, Gabriel says Alicia. This is not the first time Alicia has been brutally betrayed by a significant man in her life, her father did the same when he openly wished that Alicia had died instead of her mother. Thus, Alicia like “Alcestis” becomes mute and lo and behold the true meaning behind the title “The Silent Patient”.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I have already persuaded a number of other people to read it, however, there were some areas of the book which could have been strengthened. For instance, there were some characters that were two-dimensional and deserved more backstory such as Max Berenson, the jealous adopted elder brother. Another area worth improving on could have been the initial build-up, while some people like myself appreciated the slow burn at the start, not everyone can be engaged so quickly.
FILM DEVELOPMENT
Already part of the film industry, Michaelides has previously written two screenplays: “The Devil You Know” (2013) and “The Con is On” (2018) unfortunately both were not successful projects. However in 2019, Michaelides struck gold when Annapurna and Plan B, two leading production companies decided to sign on to work together to develop “The Silent Patient” into a film.
Plan B is Brad Pitt’s production company and has created some remarkable and well-known films like, “12 Years a Slave” (2013) and “Moonlight” (2016). It should be noted that both films have in fact won an Oscar for best picture of the year. From Annapurna’s side, the chief content officer and film division president, Sue Naegle and Ivana Lobardi respectively will manage the project. Therefore, it is safe to say that Michaelides shouldn’t worry with the monumental support and backing that he has received for “The Silent Patient”. Could the next big thriller feature film be in the making?
(Source: Annapurna)
(Source: New Regency)
REVIEWS FROM OTHER READERS:
It’s safe to say that I’m not the only one who shares a positive review on “The Silent Patient”, here are two reviews by readers that I have talked to giving their opinion on the book.
Ahmad Tashfeen, 21, Islamabad
The Silent Patient was a nail-biting, yet exhilarating read, as it had a subtle foreshadowing that enticed the reader to imagine multiple conclusions but did not give away the essence of the twists it ultimately unfolds. The high-quality character and story developments have definitely made it a page-turner.
Tehniyat Niazi, 38, Islamabad
Alex Michaelides’ spectacular way of writing is a treat for his readers. Of all the Psychological thriller books I have read, “The Silent Patient” undoubtedly holds first place on my list books. Without giving away any spoilers, I would like to say that Alex Michaelides has used the perfect mix of ingredients to make his debut book the most breathtaking piece. He has been very successful in keeping his readers tiptoeing at every page through his most thrilling, spine-chilling, an electrifying masterpiece.
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