The fun comes just when you think you’ve figured it out as the author’s sly plot building comes to light. Read an excerpt from The Silent Patient!Īlicia’s not speaking, she’s painting-so much of the plot revolves around this idea. Admetus doesn’t want to die and in the end, convinces his wife, Alcestis, to take his place. Either die or find someone to take his place. Briefly, Admetus is the husband of Alcestis. From getting hit over the head with a bat, to meeting ne’re-do-wells in a trashy pub, he’s constantly trying to figure out what really happened and present them to Alicia in the hopes that she might speak.Īt the core of everything is Euripides’ play titled Alcestis. In fact, never having read something set in such a gruesome place, I was excited to turn the pages, noticing the riotous texture of this unique setting.įaber, himself, reminds me of a noir detective, as he attempts to ferret out answers from the various clues he discovers. I never once disbelieved the setting or the actions of Theo Faber. Michaelides experience working at a secure psychiatric wing shines in his fiction. Working part-time at a secure psychiatric unit for two years, I saw how the world of psychotherapy might be the perfect modern setting to re-imagine this story and explore its themes of death, guilt and silence. This image of a silent woman haunted me for years, until I did a post-graduate course in psychotherapy in London. In a January 2018 article in The Bookseller, Alex Michaelides stated:ĭuring my English degree, I became obsessed with the Ancient Greek myth of Alcestis and the haunting, cryptic tragedy by Euripides, where a woman is brought back to life and refuses to speak. When he gets his chance, he transfers to The Grove and soon finds himself face-to-face with Alicia, trying desperately to get her to talk. Theo sees all of it and is fascinated by the case. See More: Alex Michaelides on Writing the Perfect Thriller At her trial, they find her less than competent and instead of prison, she goes to The Grove, which is a secure psychiatric hospital. During the trial, she paints a fascinating work which shows her standing naked before her easel, looking back at the those who would observe the painting with haunted eyes. From that moment on, she refuses to speak. She loves her husband more than anything else, but then one evening shots are heard and the police arrive and find her standing over his body with a smoking gun, his arms and legs wired to a chair. Wife of famed photographer, Gabriel Berenson, she’s an artist in her own right, able to fill galleries with her hyper-realistic art. In fact, it’s rather easy to tell that he’s totally obsessed with her. He’s been mesmerized long before they actually meet as doctor and patient. You see, he’s mesmerized by the Silent Patient. The protagonist’s fumbling choices and sometimes wretched attempts to play the part of detective is what makes this novel work best. Not having a bold, tough, savvy protagonist is a fresh take. The narrative is presented from the point of view of an emotionally fragile protagonist, psychotherapist Theo Faber. Alex Michaelides’ debut psychological thriller, The Silent Patient, tracks one woman’s act of violence against her husband-and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive…ĭoctor, heal thyself, seems to be the overarching theme of this new, incredibly sly psychological thriller.
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