The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides

Title: The Silent Patient
Author: Alex Michaelides


Thank goodness for a little cooling-off period, because if I had rated this book the exact second I finished it, it would have walked away with a glowing five stars. But after taking some time to actually sit back, process the whole thing, and let my mind chew on the details, the plot holes started multiplying like gremlins. The initial high definitely dropped.

I know I have a few friends who are going to see this three-star rating and wonder what is wrong with me. To be fair, it is a decent thriller, and I can completely see why it's a massive hit for so many people. At the same time, it's just as easy to see why someone would totally trash it. So I am going to park myself right comfortably in the middle.

The absolute best part of the book was the final resolution. The buildup to it was fine, though it never truly hit a peak level of suspense for me; a lot of the journey was heavily padded with exposition. It didn't help that the characters felt pretty flat. The relationships here felt incredibly plain vanilla and predictable, despite all the twisting and turning.

If you are looking for a deep, profound masterpiece, this isn't it. But if you want a quick, entertaining escape that keeps you flipping pages at lightning speed, it absolutely delivers. It is a solid, highly readable thriller--just not an exceptional one.

I know a lot of people are rating this one high. My criticisms are just the minor things that hit me personally; you might go into it and completely love it. For me? I'm glad I read it, but I won't likely be buying a permanent copy for the shelves.

3 out of 5 stars.

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