A review by ophealian
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark sad tense medium-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

3.25

Very intriguing at the onset, but it the intrigue quickly wears off and the story is propelled along by Gone Girl-esque diary entries from Alicia and asynchronous storytelling from Theo's perspective. It's a good read for those who really like flawed, unreliable narrators, but the twist is less of a twist by the end and more of a "well, we FINALLY got there" kind of feeling. 

And I think the book could've been shorted by perhaps a hundred pages or so. Watching Theo's descent into a YOU kind of stalker is interesting, but if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook version and just letting it kind of play in the back, I'm not sure I would've actively picked up this book again and again to finish it. 

Overall a fairly entertaining read! 
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