Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • The CBR Team
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us
> FAQ Home
> Genre: Fiction > The Silent Patient is a good book but I didn’t like it

The Silent Patient is a good book but I didn’t like it

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

February 10, 2020 by pixifer 1 Comment

This is a hard book for me to rate because it was fascinating and compelling but I didn’t like it. 

Alicia Berenson hasn’t spoken since she murdered her husband six years earlier. To outsiders, they seemed to have a perfect marriage. She was a beautiful, successful painter, and he was a handsome, famous photographer. They were madly in love. So why did she shoot him in the face 5 times? 

Theo Faber has recently joined the Grove as its new psychotherapist. Part of why he took the job was to meet Alicia and help her speak again. 

Most of the book is told from Theo’s perspective. We learn a lot about his childhood, marriage, and his emotional baggage. Alicia’s diary entries from before the murder are interspersed with Theo’s narrative. 

I found Alicia to be a fascinating character. She’s slowly revealed to us through her diary, her interactions at the hospital, and stories related by family, friends, and hospital staff. As events play out it brings up the questions: Are the events of her diary true or is she mentally ill? Her friends and family describe her as sweet and loving or cruel and manipulative. Who is right? Who is reliable? 

My problem with the book was Theo. I wanted to know more about Alicia but Theo was the focus. I have two problems with this. I found him to be a very unlikeable character. I like complex characters, but I found it difficult to relate to him and be sympathetic with his character. My bigger problem was that I’m tired of women’s stories being told as a means to further a male character’s development. I wanted to know Alicia’s story, and while we sort of get it, I don’t feel like I ever got to know Alicia and truly hear her voice. She was just the lens through which we view Theo. I’ve no doubt that was Michaelides’s intention, but that’s not how the book is marketed and that’s not why I read the book. So I was unsatisfied. 

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense Tagged With: Alex Michaelides, Fiction, murder, mystery, Suspense, thriller

pixifer's CBR12 Review No:14 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense · Tags: Alex Michaelides, Fiction, murder, mystery, Suspense, thriller ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

About pixifer

CBR13 participantCBR12 participant

I'm an avid reader working on my first official Cannonball. My favorite genres are mystery, horror, fantasy, and SciFi, but I'll read almost anything that won't make me cry. When I'm not reading, I'm probably being held down by cats. View pixifer's reviews»

Comments

  1. Bothari43 says

    February 13, 2020 at 9:31 am

    This does not sound like one I’ll put on my list, but excellent review! I find it so hard to be objective about books – I totally know that feeling of ‘I didn’t really like this but can see how somebody else might.’ And yes, humph to using women as props in a man’s story.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • Ellesfena on CBR Diversions – It’s Never too Late to Have a Happy ChildhoodOn Your Toes, Susie! I had completely forgotten that book until just now. I agree about the Betsy-Tacy books too, those were so magical. Did...
  • Nart on Don’t Judge THIS Book by the Cover (seriously)Couldn't agree more. Whoever designed the cover really did the author dirty. It's such a lovely, soul filling book sold as a cheap... Well... Beach...
  • Emmalita on Spoiler Alert: This Book is Nothing but Fun & Sexy TimesI loved this, it was one of my favorite reads last year. Olivia Dade has become one of my auto-buy authors.
  • Malin on CBR Diversions – It’s Never too Late to Have a Happy ChildhoodAs a child, I loved the works of Astrid Lindgren, especially Ronia, the Robber's Daughter (the first chapter book I ever completed on my own...
  • ElCicco on CBR Diversions – It’s Never too Late to Have a Happy ChildhoodWhen I was little, the cupboard full of books was right outside my bedroom, and when I was supposed to go to sleep, I would...
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Google Pay
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in