In addition to the chapters we get from Theo’s perspective, we are also treated to sporadic passages from Alicia’s diary in the days leading up to her husband’s murder. The information I needed would have to be gathered through nonverbal clues, such as my countertransference… and whatever information I could gather from outside sources. Nearly six years after Alicia was admitted, the position of forensic psychotherapist became available at The Grove… I followed my gut - and applied for the job… In this case, there would be no talking. His motivations may be in the right place, but to what lengths is he willing to go to get the answers he seeks from his silent patient? ( See what I did there?) Now that he’s here, he supplements his time treating his patients with hours playing amateur detective. You see, Theo waited six years for a job opening at this facility specifically because he wanted to treat Alicia. He may sound like a nice guy, but he’s not in the “unreliable narrators” section for nothing. The Silent Patient primarily follows psychotherapist Theo Faber, who has just started working at an inpatient facility called The Grove. Y’all gat any more of them unreliable narrators? The true meaning of the allusion remained unknown to me for some time. Is Alcestis a tragedy, or is this a happy ending? Well, just like the stories of Theo and Alicia, that’s up for interpretation.Īn unsettling myth of self-sacrifice, it was unclear how it related to Alicia’s situation. Alcestis cannot speak for three days, after which she will be wholly alive again. Admetus eventually lifts the woman’s veil to discover it is his wife, back from the dead. Upon learning of Alcestis’s passing, Heracles takes it upon himself to ambush Death at Alcestis’s tomb and bring her back home.Īlcestis wears a veil to conceal her identity, and Heracles urges Admetus to look after this mysterious woman. At this point, Admetus disregards his promise and parties with his guest.
Shortly after Alcestis departs for the land of the dead, Heracles shows up at their home. All Alcestis asks of her husband is that he not remarry and lead a life of solemnity to honor her memory. In Euripides’s play, Alcestis volunteers to die in place of her husband, Admetus.
After Gabriel’s death, the first painting Alicia creates features herself, caught naked, standing before a blank canvas, with her lips parted as if to speak. Greek mythology comes into play in the story, particularly Euripides’s play: Alcestis. Even if you didn’t know it by his surname, you might figure it out by reading The Silent Patient. In case you couldn’t tell by his surname, Alex Michaelides is Greek. What The Silent Patient Gets Right So I heard y’all like Greek mythology Whether you believe it or not is up to you. That said, I do have some thoughts & feelings about what The Silent Patient gets right, and what it gets… well, wrong.Īs you will see, it’s an incredible story - of that there is no doubt. I just can’t keep up with what the kids are reading these days! So, unfortunately, in this review, I won’t necessarily be able to speak to whether this book lives up to its hype. There was (and still is) a lot of hype around The Silent Patient, but to be honest, I live under a rock when it comes to most popular things.
#Who wrote the silent patient professional#
Theo toes the line - and eventually just obliterates the line - between mental health professional and armchair detective. The Silent Patient is Alex Michaelides’s 2019 debut about psychotherapist Theo Faber’s attempt to uncover what motivated his new patient, Alicia Berenson, to murder her husband. Why she killed him, on the other hand, remained a mystery. There was never any doubt she killed Gabriel.
Check out all the books I’m reading for the challenge here.Īlicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband… The facts, such as they were, were simple: Alicia was found alone with Gabriel’s body only her fingerprints were on the gun. I read this book as part of my 2021 Reading Challenge. Support a local bookstore (and this blog!) by purchasing The Silent Patient on.
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