Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

57 reviews

knkoch's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? No

Thriller books don’t tend to fit for me, but I still try them out occasionally. I tend to like older, campier thrillers and mysteries more. This book, though, repulsed me due to its very inaccurate treatment of mental health and psychology. I’m no longer pursuing a career in that field, but I’ve studied it enough that this book’s treatment disturbed me. The narrator, acting as a psychotherapist, had no issue throwing around words like “mad” and “crazy” (obviously stigmatized and uselessly nonspecific), crossed ethical boundaries constantly, and presented endless inaccuracies stated as settled fact by an ‘expert’. No, most mental health professionals are not fucked up people looking selfishly for solutions to their own problems. No, a person does not have to have been abused to abuse someone else. No, the seeds of every adult choice we make are not planted solely in early childhood. No, talk therapy is not exclusively and entirely about a therapist “feeling your emotions for you and then feeding them back to you” (!!). There are hundreds of different types of therapy, with different methods and aims! This book is very Freudian (not the norm or the most common approach by most modern therapists) and assumes its version of that method is the only one.

In particular, there was such disrespect for the dignity of human beings (especially all women) throughout the book. No, “borderlines” are not seductive or immune to therapy. People with borderline personality disorder have emotional instability, and they are not hopeless the way they are portrayed here; therapy can be a huge help. I know this is fiction and I know

this is filtered through the main character’s particular POV,

but the danger in a poorly researched, 1950’s style mental health story like this is what people who don’t know as much about modern psychology take from it. Obviously authors are allowed to create fictional worlds, but to create a nearly approximate reality to our own and fill it with such stigma and falsity worries me greatly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness

Huge mental health inaccuracy and stigma. Also some intense fatphobia towards one character.

saricostanzo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Alcohol, Death, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Violence, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Physical abuse, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

locsnthoughtz's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Violence, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcohol, and Infidelity

Minor: Toxic friendship, Blood, and Animal death

franzys_whip's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

you could tell

the main character was evil from the start, the sudden cutaways to the kathy side of things made it clear they were flashbacks, and once alicia described the man watching her it was obvious theo was the man.

the book definitely wasn't boring, and even though none of the characters were likable it didn't hinder the story. it was entertaining, but ultimately disappointing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, Self harm, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Gun violence

Minor: Fatphobia and Animal death

lavenderdolmeh's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

WHAT just FUCK just happened

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide attempt

Minor: Ableism and Fatphobia

unchallenged ableism against BPD and NPD, minor unchallenged fatphobia

kyeshaisadore's review

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

I’m very disappointed. The “plot twist” isn’t a plot twist if it doesn’t even remotely connect to the plot. There could have been a really great story here that was focused on Alicia and her silence but instead we got misogyny, fatphobia, ableism, and poor writing. 

The wildest part is that the author said he worked part time in a psychiatric unit and was/is trained as a therapist (?????)! Please be serious!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, and Fatphobia

literarylily's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an incredibly compelling read. I found myself constantly wanting to pick it up and telling myself "just one more chapter" - I ended up reading it in one day! I liked how the three narratives; Alicia and Theo's therapy sessions, Theo's private life and investigation, and Alicia's diary entries wove together and played off each other throughout the book. I found myself constantly wondering what everything meant, what was true and how it all connected. Ultimately I did figure out the main twist before it happened, but it was quite late in the book so didn't ruin my enjoyment too much.

What I found difficult to understand was why Theo was there in the first place and why he spent so much time talking to Alicia's family and friends. Especially his thorough investigation, it didn't seem to serve any purpose and it was never really explained why he was so invested in it. I do wish there was more substance after the big reveal of Theo being the stalker to explain his motives in going to the Grove and conducting such a thorough investigation, the "I wanted to help her" line felt weak and honestly like a lie to the reader. But still, it's a four star read for me so I had a good time reading it, just confused by Theo's motives at the end there.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Murder, Stalking, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual content, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Blood, Body shaming, and Child abuse

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Stalking, Addiction, Body shaming, Car accident, Drug use, and Murder

Minor: Cursing, Grief, Sexual content, Vomit, Alcohol, and Child abuse

midnacine's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

HOLY SHIT my brain hasn't been that boggled since I saw Gone Girl in theaters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Medical content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness

Minor: Confinement, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Sexism

froggybooks's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

the hype for this book are some of the “big twists” but i saw them a mile off. it was an interesting and quick read and i enjoyed it. i do think some of the portrayal of mental health was a bit problematic and dangerous (therapy is cool everyone go to therapy)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content and Schizophrenia/Psychosis