Lost In The Plot discussion
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The Silent Patient
June (The Silent Patient)
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The Silent Patient
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Ive read this book once before, but I have to admit I didn’t remember much of it. I did remember that i loved it and it was hard to put it down once I was reading it and it was the exact same way this time around. The need to know hat happens next after every page is insane. This is the book that got me out of my reading slump last time and re reading it now I understand why. Anyways let’s chat about the story. I know I shouldn’t start with this but I’m gonna… THE PLOT TWIST, oh my goshhhhhh I love it I love it I love it. Plot twists are always fun but this is one is so unpredictable. There are so many seeds planted in your head of who “the killer” or “instigator” may be, but of course it’s all from his perspective. And then once you find out it makes so much sense, the two stories (that I assumed were going on in the same time frame) we’re intertwined. I like that in a way the word “Patient” really refers to Theo as well. He’s clearly still got his issues that need resolving and is constantly reminding us (the therapists) what those issues are. I didn’t like Theo, because I didn’t like his thought processes. It felt like he never asked the right or enough questions. BUT BY THE END WE KNOW WHY LOL he didn’t need to, because he knew most answers already. So in the end I actually appreciated that asset to the story too. I love the through line this story has which makes one debate what his intentions with Alicia are, is he obsessed, in love, has ego issues, or does he really just want to help. This through line makes the twist at the end even more mind boggling. If you can’t tell I basically like that we were constantly misled, pulled this way pulled that way like, a true murder mystery.
I did find it interesting that the books shines a negative light on therapy. Not at first, Ruth is spoken about highly, and Theo seems legit and like he really can help. But by the end of it we find out Theo is still messed up and Alicia was never helped either… idk what I think of that necessarily but I just found that interesting.
In summary, I really enjoyed reading this. It’s a good gripping story with a satisfying end. A very good book to recommend to others.
What did y’all think?
this is not my usual genre of book at all, I low-key get scared reading thrillers haha. For some reason I find it eerier than watching scary films. But I could NOT put this book down when I started it. It is the definition of a page turner. It’s not often that a book can surprise me either but the plot twist was crazyyyyy. I think I actually gasped and said omg out loud. This is the reason why I love this book club bc I would never have read this otherwise. I’ve already passed it on to my brothers girlfriend to read as I need others to understand how good this book is.
Okay sooo first off, I was not expecting to enjoy The Silent Patient as much as I did. I thought it was gonna be just another psychological thriller with a twist slapped on at the end, but it’s honestly so much more layered than that.What really got me was the atmosphere, it’s super quiet, eerie, and unsettling without being dramatic. Like even the calm parts feel like something’s off. I was constantly trying to figure out what Alicia was thinking, and the silence?? It almost felt louder than words at some points. I love when books do that. Also, I kept thinking about how therapy is portrayed. Like the way Theo approaches her, and how it feels like he’s trying to save her… but also maybe control the narrative a bit? Idk, it gave me weird vibes but in a good, intentional way. It made me question his role a lot, even before anything big happened.
And I have to say that the little journal excerpts from Alicia? I loved those. They were beautifully written, and they gave just enough to keep me curious, but never too much. Just chef’s kiss.
Overall: creepy, smart, and just the right kind of unsettling. Would totally recommend it!!!
i always get paranoid of WHOEVER gets mentioned in a thriller book, because ive seen/read too many plottwists and i always get so suspicious of everyone!! so i actually thought it was gonna be him somewhere half trough. but that doesnt take away any of the fun i had reading this book. i doubted my own theory many times as the writer tried to put my suspicion on someone else. but because i know this book did well on tiktok i just knew the plottwist had to be massive lol. anyways, thanks for recommending this book i finished it in 3 days 😹😹
I finished it today and oh myyyy, I don’t really read much, which is why I joined this bookclub to make me read more, and I was shook, my heart was beating a bit when they were telling the story towards the end but I did not expect it to go the way it did, thoroughly enjoyed it can’t wait for the next book to read
This book was such a page turner!! Was so hard to put down. It really kept me on my toes and really surprised me at the plot twist too. I loved the little nods to Greek mythology at the start of the text- which then eventuated into Euripides play The Alcestis mirroring Alicia’s life and her experiences of “death”.
I also enjoyed realising that Theo was so unlikeable for a reason hahaha.
However, I did find the ending somehow anti-climactic when they skipped over some the scenes of Alicia’s first conversations and kind of felt as though the author was rushing to the end of the book once we found out the truth.
But definitely would recommend this text to others and thoroughly enjoyed overall!
Loved this book recommendation! I was honestly skeptical that I’d enjoy it as much as I did. Echoing the part about this book getting me outta a reading slump and enjoying the Greek Mythology details! I actually have the play, Alcestis, in my list now!Very suspenseful in the best way. This book got me back into reading for fun! Thoroughly enjoyed reading every page. I felt the writing style made it easy to read quickly while still understanding the plot/what was going on. The ending was fine. Left me questioning things. But I enjoy ambiguous endings. The type of ending and book that is a true psychological thriller and it’s up to the reader to determine if anyone should be condemned and if so who and why. Was left feeling sympathetic towards Theo and Alicia, but also confused about their motives and who they truly were.
Again, really enjoyed the book and the uncertainties/ambiguity. It allows the reader to delve into their own psyche depending on how they interpreted the events and ending. Which I think is cool because that is quite literally what Theo was doing to Alicia. So we end up psychoanalyzing the characters too whether we are conscious of that or not. We introduce our own biases when interpreting the events and ending. Each reader is ultimately painting a picture of everything and synthesizing it all in a unique way based on their own views and beliefs and background. So there may be different interpretations of the ending and about the characters. Again, this echoes the theme of the book/ essential feature of the plot: went aint our realities.
Oh okay also I will say the lack of definitive ending for Alicia was kinda strange / annoying. That was left unnecessarily up to interpretation in my option— didn’t quite make sense to me yet. Not sure if there’s a deeper message or meaning or reason behind it… if so, I haven’t found it yet. If it reflected a different Greek tragedy that would be more justified in my opinion. But as someone else mentioned, I too, was left feeling like the ending was a bit rushed and that was the main reason I felt that way. I felt she was a crucial character that deserved a more thorough/complete/distinct ending more appropriate for her character.
Overall, I was fully entertained by this book. BUT I was cringing and also annoyed by parts of it 🤣 I personally found the plot twist somewhat obvious and the ending was a little bit of a let down. However, I think it gets points for the fact that it was a nice light read and I was still hooked in the sense that there were enough suspects I wasn’t 100% sure of my theory. Even when I was, I was curious about how it would actually get wrapped up.Things I was a bit bothered by…
#1 The portrayal of mental health/psychiatric patients. It was extremely stereotypical and reminded me of the way old movies would depict mental psychiatric facilities. Im guessing/hoping he was trying to show how flawed Theo (and the facility in general) was? But also wondered if he really doesn’t know enough/didn’t research enough. I am pretty interested/somewhat educated in psychology and mental health more than the avg person, so this probably affected my view on it.
I do think that the book demonstrates well how unresolved trauma will bleed into the rest of your life and have lasting negative effects on you and the people around you.
#2 It was clearly a misogynistic/sexist perspective…also sex was mentioned so many times when it added nothing whatsoever. Again, could be reinforcing who Theo is as a character but it did get a little old. By the time it got to Barbie i was like…………..🙄
Omg Dani you made me remember that I was shocked the narrator was a man! Cuz in the very beginning I was picturing a woman talking and narrating and then he said his name and I was like whoa what. That was the first plot twist for me lmao. And I think that lends itself to ur other comments about the amount of times sex is mentioned and honestly how the narrator thinks and feels and how we see the characters and situations.
I don't know how people could see that plottwist coming... I was in complete shock!i love how in the end he mentiones the snowflakes disappearing on his hands again, like the day he was alone with his mom building a snowman. Having his secret come to light probably felt just as freeing as having his dad out of the house.
No more fear of making the wrong move, exposing himself or making his father mad. He was done walking around a mine field.❤️
Omg Sandy!!! Yesss!! I knew that detail with the snowflake was important but I couldn’t remember the parallel! Thank u for pointing that out!! Makes me appreciate the details of the ending more!
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I've heard other people say that they guessed the plot twist from the very beginning, especially people who have read a lot of books. Oooh also interesting to hear your thoughts on his possible lack of information on psychotherapy. I don't know much about it at all but agree that it all seemed super stereotypical, because the way he wrote about it was the way that I would have (without any knowledge of it).
And I was actually thinking the same about the misogyny but I wasn't sure if it was the writer or the character. I noticed that a lot of the women are referred to as "bit*ch" more often than necessary. and also it's always the women's fault that the relationships went downhill (at least in the way it was written) Granted the author is a man so it's definitely possible.
Super interesting reading your thoughts on this! Thanks you so much for sharing.
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i love how in the end he mentiones the snowflakes disappearing on his hands again, like the day he was alone with..."
omgggg I did not notice this!!! Yes you're so right. that ties the ending together even more!
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yesss I do agree on Alicias ending. the only thing I'm pulling from it is that now she is silent forever (against her will). but I suppose that would be the case wether she was in coma or deceased so its vague either way
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yes I fully agree I loved the constant questioning of Theo's motives and equally the questioning of how Alicia was reading into them.
D wrote: "Omg Dani you made me remember that I was shocked the narrator was a man! Cuz in the very beginning I was picturing a woman talking and narrating and then he said his name and I was like whoa what. ..."I literally thought the same! I was actually hopeful of the female narrator xD
Also, agree with what you and Iwana were saying in general where the more misogynistic perspective is really Theo (well that's what im hoping). The way he sees things is fitting of the narrative the writer is trying to create. Him growing up in a toxic household dominated by his father further supports that narrative.
I was really hopeful when he went to Ruth (actually representative of a good therapist) but after he decided to just stay with Karen I knew everything was doomed and started figuring out where it was headed lol.
@Iwana — Ah, I hadn’t thought about that@Dani— Yess
Idk how y’all be replying to specific comments on here 😭😂
Lost In The Plot
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Tomorrow on the 1st of June we start reading 'The Silent Patient' !!! I am insanely excited to hear your thoughts on it at the end of the month, and can't wait to share mine with you! I gave a copy to my dad and he finished it in 2 days because he enjoyed it so much!!! Okayyy happy reading lovelies, speak soon :)