Review of “The Silent Patient,” by Alex Michaelides, 2019. New York: Celadon/Macmillan, 359 pages.
Counselors and psychologists would love this book…
Scary stuff. Makes you think. British story. A few Americans.
This is definitely an adult book – mostly because of the intensity of the counseling sessions of a patient – this novel contains a great deal of twists and turns. Sounds trite. But when you read this one, you will finally understand what twists and turns are.
The different perspectives of the characters are tied closely to the twists and turns. To understand what that means, you will have to read the book.
This is a very strange book. The writer does so very many things in it the reader does not expect. For one thing, we get unexpected glimpses into the minds of the characters… learning things about them we would not have guessed. This novel is full of thoughts and feelings that will make readers themselves do some soul-searching.
I have to say something weird about this book, and that is: The story was so vivid it seemed more like a movie than a book. I think of the characters and occurrences as something more that happened – rather than a description of a story or a re-telling of memories. In this way, the book is not a typical novel. It has a very real feeling to it, despite all the rather unreal things that happen in it.
The book includes a book club guide (discussion questions, conversation with the author, and the author’s take on the best plot twists in fiction). This would be a very interesting book for use in a club – and the element of surprise would be one of the most common themes mentioned.
The author states, “A psychological detective story is how I think of The Silent Patient.” This is the key to the book.
Counselors and psychologists would love this book… very challenging information indeed in this text. Teachers of writing will love the distinct points of view of the different characters in this novel.
Topics I would include in a book club would be: the role of art in the book, the reasons people wish to work with patients, the different frame of reference from American characters in such books, and a variety of symbols. Or what might be symbols.
I remain unsure what the snow was supposed to mean.