{"id":16882,"date":"2026-04-30T23:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16882"},"modified":"2026-04-30T23:42:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:42:52","slug":"the-silent-patient-by-alex-michaelides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16882","title":{"rendered":"“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

OFF THE SHELF<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>This month\u2019s book is a compelling psychological thriller that initially drew us in. We felt that the opening half of the novel was particularly strong and well-written. Alicia Berenson\u2019s silence, following the shocking murder of her husband, is a powerful narrative hook, and the gradual uncovering of her past through diary entries is both effective and absorbing.<\/p>\n

Theo Faber, the psychotherapist determined to treat Alicia, is an engaging narrator at first. His professional curiosity and persistence appear believable, and the clinical setting of The Grove adds an intriguing backdrop. However, as the story progresses, some of the psychological elements begin to stretch credibility\u2014particularly in relation to boundaries within the therapeutic relationship. Theo\u2019s level of personal involvement with Alicia, and the lack of oversight from colleagues, raised ethical questions that are difficult to ignore.<\/p>\n

The novel\u2019s twist ending, while clearly designed to be shocking, felt abrupt and somewhat far-fetched. Rather than a satisfying culmination of the psychological tension, the final revelation relied heavily on coincidence and narrative sleight of hand, which left us questioning its plausibility.<\/p>\n

Overall, we rated this as an engaging and well-written thriller that excels in its first half but loses some of its credibility towards the end. It was let down by an implausible conclusion and ethical concerns within the storyline.<\/p>\n

Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OFF THE SHELF “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides This month\u2019s book is a compelling psychological thriller that initially drew us in. We felt that the opening half of the novel was particularly strong and well-written. Alicia Berenson\u2019s silence, following the shocking murder of her husband, is a powerful narrative hook, and the gradual uncovering of her past through diary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[433,347],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-4oi","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12627,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12627","url_meta":{"origin":16882,"position":0},"title":"The Heart is a Lonely Hunter","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF \"The Heart is a Lonely Hunter\" by Carson McCullers Carson McCullers\u2019 first novel is known as a modern-day classic. To an extent it mirrors her own background of growing up in a poor mill town in the Southern United States. The story tells of the lives of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14234,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14234","url_meta":{"origin":16882,"position":1},"title":"“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th May 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF \"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow\" by Gabrielle Zevin Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a novel that explores the enduring power of love and guilt. Sadie and Sam, bond over video games when the pair meet in a children\u2019s hospital; Sadie as the sibling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16205,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16205","url_meta":{"origin":16882,"position":2},"title":"From The Silent To The Topless","author":"Alan Williams","date":"22nd October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"FROM THE SILENT TO THE TOPLESS: BOOK CLUBS ON THE MARCH! It seems that Gen Z and Millennials are catching on to what we in Wenvoe have known for ages - there\u2019s nothing quite like a good book club as an antidote to today\u2019s increasingly digital world. Free online event\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Front-Cover-260x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5094,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5094","url_meta":{"origin":16882,"position":3},"title":"WENVOE REMEMBERS","author":"Alan Williams","date":"20th December 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"WENVOE REMEMBERS 100 YEARS SINCE THE GUNS FELL SILENT The Wenvoe War Memorial lists 74 men who took part in the Great War (1914-1918). 12 died and 62 returned to the village. The memorial was designed by William Clarke who was a resident in Wenvoe. 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The writing at times was a little\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8854,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8854","url_meta":{"origin":16882,"position":5},"title":"My Mother\u2019s House by Lily Tobias","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th December 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF My Mother\u2019s House by Lily Tobias was written around 1930, so the style of writing is different, in so far as it is lyrical, explanatory and very vivid. The story concerns an intelligent boy who wants to break away from Judaism. 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