The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides: A Character Study of the Morally Gray

With simple prose and short chapters, this novel is easy to follow and a fairly quick read. The concept is fascinating: a woman kills her husband and never speaks again, the point of view cutting between her psychotherapist and her own journal entries leading up to the murder.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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As the novel begins, the reader may find themself asking: why? What is our narrator’s interest in this unfortunate case of violence and what appears to be a psychotic break? As the story progresses, we gain insight into the parallels between the two individuals, doctor and patient. In an interesting character study, we get to see what looks more and more like a man trying to save himself and his own marriage. The line blurs between who is helping who.

The plot twist is a complaint of many, whether it be in regards to the alleged poor support of the idea or the story’s reliance on it to be worth anything. With a read as straightforward as this, I think it could serve it. If it were a matter of slogging through an eternal stretch before arriving at the conclusion, then perhaps it’d be less impressive. However, with the novel being what it is, I believe it could be seen as an enhancement to the story rather than something detracting from it. It’s a solid enough read and does its job.

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My one complaint with the story’s grand reveal is the handling of Theo’s personality and morality. Throughout the book, we see behavior exhibited that seems morally gray or examples of an unsettled inner world. However, it only teeters in the gray center of the spectrum before tilting towards something more negative in the reveal. This was demonstrated to me by his sudden assessment of Indira’s “endless inane chatter” after her solely being beheld as good and favored. Coming to the conclusion that our narrator was tipping into darkness the whole time doesn’t hit as hard as questionable intentions being representative of a gray internal battle. If had been kept in the middle, we could continue to ponder the similarities between Theo and Alicia. We could ask if Alicia’s intentions were ill from the start or if that too was a lapse in judgment after being traumatized her whole life. Theo being somewhat of a bad guy the entire time may indeed be a poor way of wrapping up the story. I suppose it’s up to how deeply you look into it.

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What were your thoughts on the book? Were you pleased with the plot twist or let down by it, and why? Share your thoughts below! (Please note any spoilers with a warning at the beginning of your comment!)