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kennycaw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
justinkhchen's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
Probably worked just fine on a Reddit forum (the story's origin), but extremely unpolished as a published novel; The Patient has some interesting ideas, but they are clouded by surface-level development and amateur quality control.
I have not been this distracted by spelling and grammatical mistakes for a long while, but The Patient has extremely noticeable amount of them; which is odd because the author acknowledged he has revised and expanded on the original Reddit submission prior to publication, and there was clearly an editor attached judging from the acknowledgment — so it's a little baffling why the final product still feels like it was copied and pasted from an online forum, without the refinement of a publishing house.
The writing is 'enthusiast' level rather than professional, with a 'made-up-as-we-go-along' quality to its plot; the characters are plagued with unrealistic reaction and stiff dialogs (most of the arguments among medical professionals come across as childish whining of 'I'm right and you're wrong'). The genre-switching mechanic in its final act shows potential, but the current execution is deeply flawed with some obvious inconsistencies, making it easy to question its logistic, without appreciating the bold choice.
I think context really hindered my experience with The Patient; if I have encountered this in an online forum, I would've enjoyed it as an above-average #creepypasta. But by removing it from the interactivity, anonymity, and questionable authenticity (is it actually a true story?) of that environment, it is just an ill-conceived, under-written draft of a story that got printed way before its due date.
Probably worked just fine on a Reddit forum (the story's origin), but extremely unpolished as a published novel; The Patient has some interesting ideas, but they are clouded by surface-level development and amateur quality control.
I have not been this distracted by spelling and grammatical mistakes for a long while, but The Patient has extremely noticeable amount of them; which is odd because the author acknowledged he has revised and expanded on the original Reddit submission prior to publication, and there was clearly an editor attached judging from the acknowledgment — so it's a little baffling why the final product still feels like it was copied and pasted from an online forum, without the refinement of a publishing house.
The writing is 'enthusiast' level rather than professional, with a 'made-up-as-we-go-along' quality to its plot; the characters are plagued with unrealistic reaction and stiff dialogs (most of the arguments among medical professionals come across as childish whining of 'I'm right and you're wrong'). The genre-switching mechanic in its final act shows potential, but the current execution is deeply flawed with some obvious inconsistencies, making it easy to question its logistic, without appreciating the bold choice.
I think context really hindered my experience with The Patient; if I have encountered this in an online forum, I would've enjoyed it as an above-average #creepypasta. But by removing it from the interactivity, anonymity, and questionable authenticity (is it actually a true story?) of that environment, it is just an ill-conceived, under-written draft of a story that got printed way before its due date.
sakoulas's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! Had me hooked from the first page. The ending wasn’t quite what I hoped it would be, but I don’t really know what I expected. It just lacked the personal oomph I was looking for. Really solid and engaging read, though!
ahahebsheik's review against another edition
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? N/A
4.0
moonlitface's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
Worth the read if you like horror-thriller genre. Told in the form of online forum threads, this book is about a new psychiatrist at a state asylum in Connecticut who's trying to uncover the truth about the incurable patient "Joe". It was short, a quite fast read. I liked the ambience and vibes, but mind you, this book could be quite disturbing for some people. The ending was okay ... quite underwhelming, but I personally had no problem and think it still made sense to the build-up of Joe's peculiar character.
greeneryreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
brennacummings's review against another edition
4.0
I love the outsider by stephen king… I mean the patient by jasper dewit
stormyharper's review against another edition
3.0
This book was recommended to me so I thought I would try and read it Saying it's the spooky Halloween month so this book starts out with a guy thinking he is crazy and And then he Start telling us a storythis book was So scary in places a horrifying, dark, bleak asylum: a young idealist psychiatrist who suffers from guilt trips because of his inability to cure his own mother, becomes a volunteer to treat a real dangerous patient who has been ruining/haunting and ending the lives of the people try to cure him.
Every mental hospital has that one odd, interesting case, and at the nameless New England hospital where Parker works, that patient is Joe, who has been there for over 30 years with no official diagnosis. Fueled by the idea that there’s no one who should be forgotten
I don't know how I feel about this book I don't know how I feel about this book Not usually a book I would read
Every mental hospital has that one odd, interesting case, and at the nameless New England hospital where Parker works, that patient is Joe, who has been there for over 30 years with no official diagnosis. Fueled by the idea that there’s no one who should be forgotten
I don't know how I feel about this book I don't know how I feel about this book Not usually a book I would read