“But why does she not speak?” In Euripides’ timeless Greek tragedy, Alcestis, written in 438 BCE, a woman named Alcestis sacrifices herself in order to save her husband Admetus. She is eventually rescued and returns to life, but the pain and fury from her husband’s betrayal are so great that she chooses never to speak again. The Silent Patient, a best-selling novel written by Alex Michaelides, is a psychological retelling of this play. Alicia Berenson was 33 years old when she came home one night and shot her beloved husband, Gabriel Berenson, in the face six times. After this, Alicia never spoke another word. The book follows Theo Faber, a psychiatrist at The Grove, her psychiatric hospital, as he attempts to get Alicia to speak and figure out what exactly caused her silence. Throughout the novel, the reasons for Theo’s strange curiosity about and obsession with Alicia are slowly uncovered. 

The book is a captivating, compulsive page-turner, grabbing the reader’s attention right from the very first page. The Silent Patient is not just a run-of-the-mill thriller, but a psychological mystery that takes on a unique Greek mythological aspect. The book is insanely suspenseful and creates an eerie, ominous atmosphere that puts the readers on edge. Despite my high expectations for this book, due to all the hype surrounding it, the book surpassed these expectations by a landslide. The excellent writing style and fully developed characters of the novel help it to stand out amongst other thrillers, and even Alicia, who does not speak for the majority of the book, feels detailed, misunderstood, and intriguing. Despite the book presenting a lot of information, it is written in a very clear, straightforward way that allows the reader to digest all of the information given.

The Silent Patient starts with an excerpt from Alicia Berenson’s diary. This diary is essential to the story, giving us insight about Alicia’s mind and the events leading up to her silence through her perspective. Throughout the story, we get glimpses of Alicia’s poor mental health and emotions before her husband’s death. At the end of the first diary entry, she states – “I’m only going to write positive, happy, normal thoughts. No crazy thoughts allowed,” foreshadowing what might happen to her during the diary entries. Then, the book introduces Theo Faber. Theo tells us about Alicia’s current state at the psychiatric hospital, while the diary entries reveal Alicia’s life with her husband, Gabriel. Gabriel was a fashion photographer, and Alicia was a painter – their life to the outside world, including Theo, appeared perfect. That was until Alicia was found with a gun and her husband’s dead body, shot in the face six times, and has never said anything since. The only form of expression she has had was a painting: a self-portrait of herself, naked, vulnerable, and with the word “Alcestis” at the bottom. This leads Theo to become curious and almost obsessed with Alicia’s story, urging him to get a job at the hospital she is placed in. Since the reader has no idea what has happened to Alicia, as Theo learns her story and attempts to get Alicia to speak, we do so along with him. 

The writing technique gives the readers just enough information to try to solve the mystery by ourselves, and surprises us with its brilliant plot twists and turns. Furthermore, even though the book presents itself as a psychological thriller, it is more of a character analysis with a deep psychological component. The book takes the standard format of a thriller and changes it to take a new, distinctive turn on the genre. The book slowly reveals different parts of Gabriel and Alicia’s relationship, as well as other potential suspects and people who had connections with Alicia. It gives us a complete picture of Alicia’s life and what could have led to what she supposedly did to Gabriel. The novel also has a very deep theme of mental health and psychology. We learn that both Alicia and Theo had complicated lives and upbringings, and Theo often refers to himself as “messed up.” The readers can feel a suspicious, eerie connection between Alicia and Theo; however, the truth is not revealed until the last section of the book. 

The ending of the story ties everything that has occurred between the characters together, and gives some of the characters justice. It is revealed that the author added Alcestis as a clear symbol of Alicia, due to Gabriel’s deep betrayal of Alicia. Alicia says all she needs to say about what happened by portraying herself as Alecsetis, and the reader can assume that this is the reason for her silence. Depending on which character you were rooting for, The Silent Patient has a relatively satisfying ending.

The characters and their stories are the pillars of the book. They are thoroughly developed, and the readers see even more depth as the story continues. Although the book starts pretty slowly, about halfway through, the story starts to pick up the pace. At times, the book uses confusing language, and the story feels chaotic and unorganized during its conclusion. However, this makes the book even more special since this reflects the confusion and chaos that the characters were dealing with. The frantic mood makes figuring out the truth and the book’s climax more enjoyable. The book is intense, chilling, and utterly immersive. It is so captivating that it can be read in a single sitting without looking away from the page. The Silent Patient is an excellent debut by Alex Michaelides, who delivers an enthralling retelling of the classic Greek play Alcestis, making for a perfect thriller read.