Scan barcode
A review by malarkeytbr
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
it might have been 4 stars had i not been able to guess the twist.
my problem with this book was that it made me so uncomfortable - and there were parts where that seemed clearly intentional, and parts where the line between the prejudices of the author and the character seemed to blur. the book - or maybe theos - treatment of women was so strange. every "good" woman was a sex object or a mother. every "bad" woman was ugly, or fat. all the mentally ill characters were animalistic or monstrous. all the foreign characters were westernized or grotesque. there were so many loose ends that were just left - yuri dealing drugs especially bothered me. why have that detail?
and, ultimately, i guessed the twist and the twist was the whole point of the book.
eta 10/21: also not a fan of the writing style and all the psychobabble. the more i sit on it, the less i like it. someone said it feels like tiktok psychology and i couldn't agree more honestly. changing rating from 3.25 to 3
my problem with this book was that it made me so uncomfortable - and there were parts where that seemed clearly intentional, and parts where the line between the prejudices of the author and the character seemed to blur. the book - or maybe theos - treatment of women was so strange. every "good" woman was a sex object or a mother. every "bad" woman was ugly, or fat. all the mentally ill characters were animalistic or monstrous. all the foreign characters were westernized or grotesque. there were so many loose ends that were just left - yuri dealing drugs especially bothered me. why have that detail?
and, ultimately, i guessed the twist and the twist was the whole point of the book.
eta 10/21: also not a fan of the writing style and all the psychobabble. the more i sit on it, the less i like it. someone said it feels like tiktok psychology and i couldn't agree more honestly. changing rating from 3.25 to 3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Sexual assault