THE SILENT PATIENT BY ALEX MICHAELIDES

 

The Silent Patient is a gripping and a psychological thriller that will leave you until the last page .This novel is masterfully written and ingeniously plotted offering a captivating blend of suspense ,mystery and psychological exploration .From the outset the enigmatic woman ,Alicia Berenson attracts you into her world and you can't help wondering through the roads of mystery, misery, silence and trauma. The author through skillfull story telling ,weaves a web of intrigue that unravels gradually, revealing layer upon layer of Alicia's past and the events that led to her current state. The mystery surrounding her silence becomes obsession ,and the reader is relentlessly driven to uncover the truth .The story is thoughtful and suspenseful.

This book actually gives you an exposure of trivial reasons and few raw unprocessed and suppressed emotions that could turn out into a disaster at some point in life .It underscores that how much important role parenting can play in one's life ,and childhood traumas could shape up a human into an angel and monster accordingly. I thoroughly enjoyed the read .Here are few lines that got my attention from the book and became fvt lines of mine 

" She used to say that we are made up of different parts ,some good, some bad, and that a healthy mind can tolerate this ambivalence and juggle both good and bad at the same time. Mental illness is precisely about a lack of his kind of integration ..we end up losing contact with the unacceptable parts of ourselves ."

" Sometimes it takes courage, you know ,and a long time ,to be honest."

" Because i' m not really responding to what's going on in front of me .I need to open my eyes and look  and be aware of life as it is happening ,and not simply how i want it to be."

" But remember, with greatest feelings comes greatest danger"

" Rage is a powerful communication"

"Choosing a lover is like choosing a therapist .We need to ask ourselves ,is this someone who will be honest with me ,listen to criticism ,admit making mistakes, and not promise the impossible."

"About love .About how we often mistake love for fireworks ,for drama and dysfunction .But real love is very quiet ,very still .Its boring ,if seen from the perspective of high drama. Love is deep, calm and constant"

" But i want you to consider the possibility that you felt this sadness long before you met Kathy. It's a sadness you have been carrying around for many years. You know, Theo, one of the hardest thing to admit is that we weren't loved when we needed it most. It's a terrible feeling ,the pain of not being loved."

" You have come too far and worked too hard to return to a life of dishonesty and denial and emotional abuse. You deserve someone who treats you better ,much better."

"Remember ,love that doesn't include honesty doesn't deserve to be called love."