Silent Patient

Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alicia Berenson, a painter, murders her husband of seven years, Gabriel Berenson. She neither denies her guilt nor provides an explanation for the murder. In fact, she is either unable or unwilling to speak at all. Detained at home prior before going to trial, she makes her only statement about the murder in the form of a painting, which she titles Alcestis, after an ancient Greek play.

Among the fascinated crowds who visit the gallery to see the painting firsthand is Theo Faber, a professional psychotherapist and the primary narrator of the novel. He is both professionally and personally intrigued by Alicia’s ongoing silence. Theo’s interest in psychotherapy stems from his own struggles with mental health. Raised by an abusive father, Theo credits his former psychiatrist Ruth with helping him to recover from suicidal depression. As the story develops, Theo reveals more about his own personal life, including his relationship to his wife, Kathy, an American stage-actress whose buoyant personality gives Theo his first taste of real happiness. After finding suspicious messages on her laptop, however, he begins following Kathy hoping to catch her in an affair.