The Silent Patient book

 What would you do as a psychotherapist if your patient refuses to talk no matter what? That is The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. 

We all have past traumas and we all try to avoid them. If you are seeing a psychotherapist and he asks you about your trauma, you'll most probably try to avoid it by talking about some other stuff, IF you're not willing to talk about it.

But what would happen if you don't say a single word? If you don't give a single impression, show a single emotion, or utter a word? And your psychotherapist is trying his best to help you. 

Alex Michaelides wrote a fascinating psychological thriller that has its readers hooked to it from the very first line. He is a British Cypriot author best known for his novel The Silent Patient. 

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Here's the summary of The Silent Patient without spoilers.

THE SILENT PATIENT BOOK SUMMARY:

Theo Faber, a psychotherapist is desperate to help Alicia Berenson. A woman who was an artist and lived a perfect life with her husband Gabriel. She shot him five times and never spoke a word again.

Alicia Berenson killed her husband six years ago. She had a trial but did not say a word in her defense. All she did after the death of her husband was draw Alcestis. She was under house arrest before the trial. 

A psychiatric nurse was appointed who claimed that Alicia didn't sleep or eat. All she did was draw. 

Alcestis is a heroine of a Greek myth. A tragic love story. Alcestis died for her husband who was cursed. She died for him as no one else was willing to do it. 

But why did she draw her? Why Alcestis? Alicia didn't show any movement for the rest of the six years. She was placed in Grove, a pure forensic unit in North London. She was being treated there but it was in vain.

Theo Faber, a psychotherapist wants to help Alicia. He wants her to talk, express herself, and say what she is feeling.

Theo Faber was raised by an abusive father. He ran away as soon as he turned eighteen. He received therapy from a psychologist named Ruth. He idolized her. He decided to be a psychotherapist because he liked talk therapy. He liked how talking about his trauma made him a better person and helped him move on.

Theo is now married to Kathy, an actress. They both love each other and have been happily married.

Theo thinks that he understands Alicia. He understands the trauma she has. He wants to help her but Alicia is not ready to cooperate.

What would Theo do to make Alicia speak? What tactics would he use? And will he succeed? 

Read The Silent Patient to find out how the story unfolds and get answers to your questions.

THE SILENT PATIENT BOOK REVIEW:

This book had me hooked from the first line. I loved the book throughout. There were not many dialogues in this book but I loved Theo's thoughts and how the author explained it all. There were many things that I found to be accurate. The author has a psychological background and you can see it in the book.

The one thing that I loved was how he explained that the traumas that we go through can never truly be gone. They always stick with you. You never move on from them as a whole. They always hold on to a part of you and no matter how hard you try to make it go away, it always has an imprint on your mind. 

The characters had their own charms. I won't include any spoilers so letting go of a few details. I did not have a favorite character and that hardly ever happens. The characters were grey, which made them a lot more non-fictional.

Last but not least, I did not expect that ending at all. If you did see it coming, you might not enjoy the book but if you did not, this book might just get you into mystery thriller books.

The book is enthralling and perplexing. A solid 5/5.

THE SILENT PATIENT BOOK QUOTES:

1. The painting was a self-portrait. She titled it in the bottom left-hand corner of the canvas, in light blue Greek lettering.

One word.

Alcestis.

(Chapter 1; Page 12)

2. The real motivation was purely intentional. I was on a quest to help myself. I believe the same is true for most people who go into mental health. We are drawn to this profession because we are damaged. We study psychology to heal ourselves. Whether we are prepared to admit this or not is another question.

(Chapter 3; Page 17)

3. I was wrong.

I didn't know it then, but it was too late- I had internalized my father, introjected him, and buried him deep in my unconscious. No matter how far I ran, I carried him with me wherever I went. I was pursued by an infernal, relentless chorus of furies, all with his voice- shrieking that I was worthless, shameful, and a failure.

(Chapter 3; Page 19)

4. A telltale symptom. I thought of Ruth, who used to say, "To be a good therapist, you must be receptive to your patients' feelings- but you must not hold on to them- they are not yours- they do not belong to you." In other words, this thump, thump, thumping in my head wasn't my pain; it belonged to Alicia. And this sudden wave of sadness- this desire to die, die, die- did not belong to me either. It was hers, all hers.

(Chapter 4; Page 71-72)

5. "Well, it's Alcestis- the title Alicia gave her self-portrait, painted after Gabriel's murder."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course." Diomedes looked at it with more interest. 

"Casting herself as a tragic heroine."

"Possibly, I must admit, I'm rather stumped. I thought you might have a better handle on it than me."

"Because I'm Greek?" He laughed. 

(Chapter 23; Page 154)

A quote to remember:

"Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later, in uglier ways." - SIGMUND FREUD

The book also highlights how childhood trauma can cause a drastic change in children. It stays with you, no matter what. The change that causes you to lose trust, to lose peace forever. 

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