Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

38 reviews

soswiin's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

most insane, nausea-inducing twist ever. had to throw the book away from me because i almost felt guilty for its events. fell right into michaelides's trap

of thinking that a. the narrator was reliable, b. that he genuinely wanted to help and that no abuse of power would possibly take place

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Confinement, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gaslighting, Stalking, and Body horror

caitlyn_rehs's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Infidelity, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Body horror, Kidnapping, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug use, and Gaslighting

rinniereads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Car accident, Death, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

taylorgraves555's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Death

anthos_'s review

adventurous challenging 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Gore, Body horror, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Self harm, Stalking, and Cursing

Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Gore, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

clemrain's review

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

The Silent Patient has a fascinating premise, an interesting approach, but is wrapped in basic writing.

Michaelides is a screen writer, and knowing that fact really explains his approach to writing. Picking up on his skill as a screen writer made this book a fascinating read. I can see this book as a movie, but it isn’t properly translated as a novel. I think it’s because the book is missing the nuances of a novel that are skipped in screenwriting. The settings aren’t descriptive, the inner monologue is too loud, and the prose doesn’t contain much literary devices. 

The characters aren’t likeable. Not that they’re shitty people (which they are and that’s ok), they’re just not written dynamically. The one character that could be is silent and overshadowed by an irritating observer. Alicia is fascinating in ways most killers are. Her silence adds to it. And her diary entries are a great way to give us more of her before the climax. Still, she falls short even while reaching her breaking point, the most anticipated revelation. She’s just so boring. I think it’s because down to her core, Alicia is just such a manic pixie dream girl character. Everyone is in love with her, obsessed with her, jealous of her, or feels the need to fix her. But nothing about her is enticing enough for me to buy it.

Michaelides writes women like a man, as the phrase goes. So that took away from the experience of immersion a lot.

The use of the myth was a little on the nose and too heavily relied on.

All actions in this book are explained alway by some Freudian bullshit. It’s almost like the author read up on some very basic psychology and just ran with it. Not every action needs to be analyzed on a deeper level and be connected back to childhood or parenting. It was so annoying to read Theo continuously make those observations and conclusions.

I predicted the ending very early on. Mainly due to being told that there was a crazy plot twist. However, looking back at it I saw the way the author tried to throws us off the trail and that is just not interesting. Throwing readers off the trail, to then make a revelation that had no seeds in the story until the very end is not a good mystery.  

I liked how you almost forget that Theo is reflecting back on an account. It almost seems we’re seeing a present through Theo and past through Alicia, but it’s all in the past. I liked that because when Theo recounting his wife’s affair eventually collides with Alicia’s story, there is a satisfactory whiplash.

This alone made the potential of the story so strong. But choosing to mislead in the plot took away from the execution. I think letting us into the revelation earlier on would’ve made the story more seamless.

I get that there is an unreliable narrator. I understand that everything Theo says is a reflection of himself.

it’s his narcism that he’d want to go fix what he broke so completely and think he wouldn’t face consequences

Having known all of this, my point still stands. It’s just corny.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Gun violence, Infidelity, Death, Mental illness, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Suicide, Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, and Sexual content

picky_nikki's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

What a thriller! Absolutely loved it!! The ending completely blew me away. I simply wish it had been more thoroughly written, but I suppose it adds to its intrigue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Body horror, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity and Addiction

becca_w_'s review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Medical content, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Car accident, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Stalking

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

confused_14's review

dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Alcohol, Gore, Physical abuse, Body horror, Suicide, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Car accident

aidalol's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Murder, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Stalking, Blood, Body horror, and Car accident