A review by corinnelora95
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

A well written thriller with plenty of twists and turns. It reads more like a movie rather than a novel, clearly a result of Alex Michaelides' study of screenwriting. 

I felt that the first part moved a bit slow, with the action picking up in parts two and three. It became difficult to put down, and once I began part four, I knew I was in for a wild ride.
What's most interesting to me is that for the first 3 parts of the book, you believe that all of the events are happening at the same time- Theo and Kathy's marriage is falling apart WHILE he's treating Alicia at The Grove. But when you begin part four, you realize that the story has been told in a non-linear fashion- that Theo is going back and forth between the past and the present to tell the story. Part five wraps the two storylines nicely together, though the ending felt just a bit rushed after all of the driving action in the preceding parts.
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