His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations-a search for the truth that threatens to consume him. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.Īlicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas.

The bulk of the novel takes place in the present-day, narrated by Theo Faber, a forensic psychoanalyst who recently began working with. It tells the story of Alicia, who killed her husband, Gabriel, six years earlierand hasn’t spoken since.

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman's act of violence against her husband-and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.Īlicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. The Silent Patient (2019) is a contemporary psychological thriller from author Alex Michaelides. A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy.' in English literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. 'An unforgettable-and Hollywood-bound-new thriller. Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations?a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.**THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.Īlicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides