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A review by literallysam
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Let's start with the good stuff🫴🏼
The premise of this book is fantastic. I was engaged right away. For most thrillers, I think, the ending is the make it or break it aspect of the story, and the one in this book is pretty solid. The revelation in the end is really surprising, even if you guess the twist (I didn’t, but some might)
This book will undoubtedly make for a good thrilling movie if it's made. It's not an amazing book, but definitely a good one.
Now some criticisms🫴🏼
The flaws in this book are many, but they’re also pretty standard for this genre.
The author throws in so many red herrings and unnecessary small twists that the book begins to feel clumsy and many of these red herrings are left unresolved. And the most important point- Though the book is medium-paced, it takes too long to get into the flesh of the book. There are so many characters to be introduced and a whole lot of background story to go over before the main action starts to happen. But then it's bearable because it still keeps you intrigued while wanting to turn the page.
OVERALL- The Silent Patient nails the ending, and just for that reason alone I’m inclined to forgive all of its flaws. And I feel no shame in saying that after the plot twist or the big revelation- I was left feeling like "damn, I should have been able to guess this!”. I'd say Go For It.
The premise of this book is fantastic. I was engaged right away. For most thrillers, I think, the ending is the make it or break it aspect of the story, and the one in this book is pretty solid. The revelation in the end is really surprising, even if you guess the twist (I didn’t, but some might)
This book will undoubtedly make for a good thrilling movie if it's made. It's not an amazing book, but definitely a good one.
Now some criticisms🫴🏼
The flaws in this book are many, but they’re also pretty standard for this genre.
The author throws in so many red herrings and unnecessary small twists that the book begins to feel clumsy and many of these red herrings are left unresolved. And the most important point- Though the book is medium-paced, it takes too long to get into the flesh of the book. There are so many characters to be introduced and a whole lot of background story to go over before the main action starts to happen. But then it's bearable because it still keeps you intrigued while wanting to turn the page.
OVERALL- The Silent Patient nails the ending, and just for that reason alone I’m inclined to forgive all of its flaws. And I feel no shame in saying that after the plot twist or the big revelation- I was left feeling like "damn, I should have been able to guess this!”. I'd say Go For It.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Medical trauma, and Violence