A review by beknights
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 Main character, Theo,  struggles with his own mental illness while also being a devoted criminal therapist.. he goes to drastic lengths in attempts to save his damsel in distress which may or may not work in his favor. Lowkey, the characters aren’t too likable- Theo is a little annoying, Alicia has no special quality… but I do enjoy how the story is written.. it makes you slowly gain sympathy for some characters and quickly takes it  away as the plot progresses. 

Overall, pretty medium-fast paced story ! The real tea starts about 150-200pgs in but worth the wait IMO! It started getting a little predictable but I like how the author went about formulating the ending- which is  ambiguous btw, so if you don’t enjoy those maybe don’t pick up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

Has heavy focus on psych wards and mentally ill individuals. There’s an heavy emphasis on everything that comes with that- mentions of violence, trauma, suicidal thoughts/attempts, brief sexual assault, and death.