The Silent Patient in Around the Year in 52 Books

Oct 11, 2019 Donna rated it really liked it

It seems like this is the thriller everyone is talking about and for good reason. It's dark, suspenseful and absorbing. Kudos to the author who successfully maneuvers us through a complex tale, raising our suspicions in multiple directions and causing us to question the reliability of the two narrators - the accused murderer, Alicia, and the sincere but damaged psychoanalyst, Theo - right up to the end. Since the element of surprise is paramount for enjoying this book, the less said about plot, ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 Susan rated it really liked it

I loved this book and was so mind blown by the twist. I didn't give 5 stars for two reasons. The first 50 pages bored me to tears. To the point I almost DNF'd this book I was so bored. The second reason was the ending was lack Lister. I just thought it would end on a bang like the twist did. ...more

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Jun 08, 2019 Viktoriya rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, 2019

This is probably closer to 3.5 star rating than 4. While I enjoyed reading this book, read it in less than two days, and liked the mystery, there was something preventing me from giving it a solid 4 or 4.5 star rating.
It could be the fact that author loves his Greek heritage so much, he inserted it all over the story: the medical director of psychiatric facility is named Diomedes, the name of one of the main characters, physiotherapist treating Alicia is named Theo (that name screams Greek to m This is probably closer to 3.5 star rating than 4. While I enjoyed reading this book, read it in less than two days, and liked the mystery, there was something preventing me from giving it a solid 4 or 4.5 star rating.
It could be the fact that author loves his Greek heritage so much, he inserted it all over the story: the medical director of psychiatric facility is named Diomedes, the name of one of the main characters, physiotherapist treating Alicia is named Theo (that name screams Greek to me), the Greek myth of Alcestis is very central to the book and referred to numerous times, and finally, at one point, in her journal Alicia compares hot London summer day to a hot summer day in Athens (yes, Athens, of all of the cities in the world) This all would have been fine had the novel been actually set in Greece, but since it wasn't, it felt really odd, out of place, and forced. I did get over it quickly and it wasn't bothering me much, but this was something once I noticed, I couldn't help but seeing it again and again as I read the book.
I was also bothered by some of the things author said about criminal psychology. From reading his short bio at the end of the book, I see that he doesn't have any educational or professional experience in psychology or profiling. At some point he said "...it is impossible for someone who was not abused to become an abuser." I found this quote soo wrong and troubling. A very short study of criminal behavior will show that there are MANY murderers, rapists, molesters, etc who came from really normal happy families.
As for the mystery, I felt it was really good and kept me guessing to the end. I was sure I had it all figure out at least on 5 different occasions and every time I found myself being wrong. (view spoiler) ...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Mina rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club-reads, ps-challenge-2019

Psychological paranoid fun with a side of "hold the phone - what just happened?"
Had to pump the brakes more than once. Good Read!
#26/50 - A retelling of a classic - It's a stretch but the story of Alcestis plays a big role in this book.
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Jun 05, 2020 Traci rated it really liked it

Wow, was this an intense thriller. Couldn't stop reading, finished in 4 hours. There is a very surprising twist at the end that I definitely did not see coming. Only reason I didn't give it a 5 star was some of the chronological pieces didn't make sense to me. Overall a very fast paced and engaging thriller ...more

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