The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides was a book I did not know I needed to read. Released in February 2019, this surprisingly enthralling and captivating psychological thriller has everything to keep its reader hooked—especially when its splash of mystery includes a murder…

The story takes place in North London in the narration of Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who is obsessed with uncovering the motives of Alicia Berenson, a woman who shot and killed her husband on a dark night 6 years prior. 

I usually don’t read thrillers. In fact, I absolutely hate anything that is scary. I don’t watch horror movies, I hate Halloween, and I pushed off reading this book for months. Imagine my surprise when I started reading the crisp pages and could not put it down. I managed to finish the book in two days. 

One aspect of the novel that I absolutely loved was how the author brought in real psychotherapy terms and ideas. I loved how you could truly believe Theo was a therapist. Sometimes, authors will attach a label on a character and then expect the reader to believe the character was in that profession when it is obvious the author had no idea what it entails. But in The Silent Patient, Theo goes in depth with why Alicia thinks and behaves the way she does, which makes the book so much more believable. 

There were so many jaw dropping moments while reading this book, especially the massive plot twist at the end. Although I won’t say what happens, I definitely recommend that you find out for yourself. 

(Pro tip: don’t finish this book at night like I did or else you’ll feel a pair of eyes staring at you outside your window and won’t be able to fall asleep)