Warning: a major spoiler to the book is mentioned in the article!
Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient, writes a brilliantly crafted psychological mystery thriller book, one that keeps us on our toes. As entertaining as the mystery aspect of the book is, what is even better is the different psychological and mental health inferences that Michaelides depicts accurately. This book did not just serve its purpose as a simplistic entertainer, but rather held various notions that resonate throughout, which include the importance of the experiences of an individual and how they play an immeasurable role in our lives.
Plot Summary of The Silent Patient
The Silent Patient tells the story of a woman, Alicia Berenson, who allegedly murders her husband and then turns mute for the next 6 years after what she did, living in a mental institution as a result. The story is written from the perspective of Theo Faber, a psychotherapist obsessed with treating Alicia and finding out what pushed her to commit such a crime. He begins working at The Grove, the mental institution, determined to help Alicia and understand her. He was determined to prove that Alicia was not psychotic, as many believed her to be. Throughout the book, many resonating themes are seen, such as Theo Faber’s hard childhood, Alicia’s background, and how these experiences shaped the characters of Theo and Alicia among others.
Notions Present Within the Book
Michaelides writes The Silent Patient with a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic emphasis. Faber believes that the mechanisms used in psychodynamic theory can cure Alicia and get her to speak again. There are also instances transference that were seen in the third therapy session between Alicia and Theo.
Patient history – Michaelides makes a clear statement on how our experiences shape our personality, our character, our reactions, and our self-perception. Theo Faber came from a loveless family. His father was abusive and would hit him and his mother. This long-lasting abuse impacted Theo in many ways, and the clearest indication is his self-perception and him staying in a relationship that hurts him. Although he knows that he should leave, he cannot because he believes himself to be weak and so emotionally attached. Interestingly, we also get a glimpse into Alicia’s childhood. Her mother had multiple mental health issues and ultimately tried to kill herself and Alicia with her by crashing their car. However, her father blames her for her mother’s death, and it is at that moment that he “kills her” psychologically while she is still breathing.
Traumas and their impact on an individual – The fact that Alicia’s father blames her for her mother’s death is traumatizing in and of itself. It is not enough that she had to live and watch her mentally unstable mother, but to watch her mother die and be blamed for her death is a whole other level. Similarly, Theo’s traumatic childhood turns him into someone obsessive and emotionally attached with cognitive distortions about himself and what he deserves. He begins stalking the whereabouts of Kathy, his wife, when he finds out that she is cheating, looking through her emails, and watching her affair from afar. He finds out that Kathy’s lover is also married, and various shocking revelations are made based on this, primarily the fact that Kathy’s lover is Alicia’s husband. This is what leads Theo to break into their house and confront Alicia and Gabriel, Alicia’s husband, and hold them captive in their own home. Michaelides very cleverly correlates Alicia’s trauma with her husband’s shocking adultery, which prompts an even more shocking turn of events.
Concluding Words
Michaelides showcases the power that emotions and experiences exhibit and play a role in the way an individual behaves. Trauma can be extremely triggering, and we see how it resonates even years after an incident has marked its victim. Michaelides crafts a very entertaining story – and one with a clear moral.