The real impact comes not in flash or drama, but in the quiet, methodical way in which Michaelides lays bare the innermost workings of his characters ... an outstanding debut crime novel that forges its own path, delivering intelligent character study and masterful plotting, all wrapped up in hypnotic writing from which you won’t want to tear yourself away.
What begins as a mere mystery transforms into a thriller delving into the psyches of patient and therapist. In a final climactic chapter, it is shockingly shown how alike their shared experiences are ... The Silent Patient dramatically proves no man is an island and whatever happens in one person’s life may in turn affect another, for better or worse.
Would you judge me if I said I did not see the ending of The Silent Patient coming? That I read all 323 pages of Alex Michaelides’s best-selling psychological thriller and did not deduce the twist until he wanted me to (page 304)? And that I still did not understand the hows and whys until he fully explained, in elementary-my-dear detail, the convoluted psychology at play (pg. 312)? ... a deft thriller that will surely cost you sleep as you try, and fail, to put it down ... The plot of The Silent Patient, with my limited experience in the genre, felt fresh to me. What did not—what I’d certainly seen before—were some of the novel’s hacky horror tropes ... Trite scenes pop up throughout.
