The Silent Patient

"Dangerously Written for a Curious Mind.-CoffeeBear"

         Alica Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. Until one night, when her husband, Gabriel, returns home late from work, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.
         Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanations, turns a domestic tragedy into a mystery that captures the public imagination. And she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit in North London. Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is captivated by Alicia's story and jumps at the opportunity to work with her. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband will take him down a path more unexpected and more terrifying than he ever imagined." (Celadon Books).

The story is divided into four parts.
(Part One). "He that has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore."- Sigmund Freud, Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis.
Throughout in this first part, the main voice belongs to Theo Faber who is the doctor of Alicia Berenson. Particularly, a glimpse of Theo's life. Not much was discussed about Alicia Berenson. However, it is worth keeping in mind that Alicia Berenson is a patient who REFUSES to speak. It is the job of Theo to talk to her and make her speak up.

(Part Two) "Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive, and will come forth later, in uglier ways"- Sigmund Freud.
In this part. We the readers could see how determined Theo is in gathering information about Alicia. Theo goes to talk to the neighbor of Alicia and the family and friends of Alicia. THEO'S LIFE TAKES A QUICK TURN. Alicia finally speaks through her diary. Emphasis on the word ALCESTIS.
(Part Three) "I mustn't put strangeness where there's nothing. I think that is the danger of keeping a diary; you exaggerate everything ,you are on the lookout, and you continually stretch the truth. -Jean-Paul Sartre
"Though I am not naturally honest, I am sometimes so by chance."-William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale.
Alicia wrote in her diary that she has a stalker.
(Part Four) " The aim of therapy is not to correct the past, but to enable the patient to confront his own history, and to grieve over it."- Alice Miller
Alicia speaks. Truth is revealed. THEO KNOWS WHY SHE WILL NOT SPEAK.

Good Points: It is a slow pace novel which unravels the mystery between the characters. The chapters are used as introductory guide. The diaries and text messages create more depth and impact, like an invitation to the readers to FEEL WHAT THE CHARACTERS FEEL. Very interesting that the CLIMAX is near the end of the book. The ending is something that will explain everything. Not a single clue was given.

Points to Improve: There should be a heading, such as "Theo" and "Alicia". Sometimes it is confusing that is why the reader might take the time to reread it again. There are so many characters, which is also confusing. Maybe the writer intended to do so in order for us readers to pay more attention to details?

Conclusion: It is definitely one of my favorite books.