~My FIVE STAR Review for The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides~02/20/19

~Synopsis~

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.... 

~Five Star Review~

I personally loved this book.  The suspense was relentless and the flawless writing made it extremely easy to read through.   I don't read a lot of books like this so it was a huge and very, welcoming change for me.  I read it quickly, for me anyway.  

Yes, there was a lot of hype and yes, I bought into it and yes, I pre-ordered the book, paying more than I normally do, but you know what?  I"m not sorry I did any of those things because Mr. Michaelides is a fantastic storyteller!  This book kept my interest from beginning to end.

A mesmerizing story of a woman who kills her husband and then refuses to speak.  

Can Theo Faber a psychotherapist with an interesting life of his own, get through to her?  Will she ever talk again?  Why did she shoot her husband?  How will the story unfold?

It's hard to write a review, sometimes, for something so mind-blowing and to keep the spoilers away because that my dear readers is what this book is all about.  You have so many questions and when you go in not knowing, it keeps you going, riding on the edge of your seat just waiting, wondering and trying to figure it out.  There are several characters whom all play a different role in the unraveling of this story.

Enjoy.......

~Some Quotes from the book~

If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me.

The aim of therapy is not to correct the past but to enable the patient to confront his own history, and to grieve over it.

Rage, like fear, is reactive.

Her silence was like a mirror-reflecting yourself back at you.  And it was often an ugly sight.

Alicia is a silent siren, my boy, luring us to the rocks, where we dash our therapeutic ambition to pieces

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