Thursday Thoughts: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alicia Berenson is confined to a psychiatric hospital after brutally murdering her husband Gabriel. She has been silent and withdrawn since the horrific incident, despite therapeutic intervention. What happened leading up to the murder--as well as Alicia's motive--remains a mystery.

When psychotherapist Theo Faber takes over her case, he is determined to break Alicia's silence and make progress in her condition. But deep, destructive secrets lie buried below the surface, and exposing them will bring the dangerous truth to light.

This dark and twisty psychological thriller is a pulse-racing page turner guaranteed to send a chill up the spine. Alex Michaelides's debut novel is an impressive addition to the genre.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

                                                      

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon. 


Today I'm featuring my current read, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. The excerpts shared are from an eBook version I borrowed from the library.  

 

PROLOGUE

Alicia Berenson's Diary 

 

July 14

I don't know why I'm writing this.

 

That's not true.  Maybe I do know and just don't want to admit it to myself. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

 

Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband.

 

 

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

Both the prologue and opening line of the first chapter hooked me.  I'm half-way through this debut novel and am racing through the pages to find out why Alicia killed her husband and what her ultimate fate will be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

 

 

 

Can't Wait Wednesday

  

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tessa at Wishful Endings which spotlights and discusses forthcoming books that bloggers are looking forward to reading. Generally it's about books that haven't been released yet. This meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, formerly hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

There are so many exciting new books on the horizon, so without further ado, this week's Can't Wait For book is . . .  

 

Release Date:  February 5, 2019

Publisher:  Celadon Books

From Goodreads:  Promising to be the debut novel of the season 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…

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. 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. 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.

Alicia’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. 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.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. 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....

My thoughts:  I'm an avid fan of psychological thrillers, and the buzz around this book is hard to resist.

This Can't Wait Wednesday post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter, Google+ and/or other blogs with appropriate recognition is appreciated