Review by nomencestry - The Silent Patient

nomencestry 's review for:

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

3.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I listened to this as an audiobook. Overall it was an enjoyable read. It has some intense subject matter so buyer beware here. Personally I felt the way the book approaches these subjects through Theo's eyes takes some of the horror away, which I think was likely a deliberate choice on the author's part given who the narrator is. I took some stars off for the pacing as it drags a bit in the middle before racing to the shocking conclusion in the last couple of parts. I basically forced myself to finish the book because I was so intrigued by the central mystery. Like any well written mystery, there were just enough hints throughout the book that once you get to the twist, you look back and think "Of course, it must be this way, it couldn't be anything else." I appreciate how the narration grows more unhinged as Theo's tangled mental state is further revealed and there are some lovely bits of prose sprinkled throughout. I get why this was a bestseller and I will likely watch the inevitable movie adaptation.

Content Warnings