Book Notes | ‘The Silent Patient’
Referred to as a psychological thriller, this New York Times best-selling novel by Alex Michaelides is narrated by the lead character, Theo Faber. Theo is a psychotherapist who becomes obsessed with a woman, an artist, who was found guilty of murdering her husband. She has since chosen not to speak another word—not during her trial, and not since she’s been institutionalized. However, she does keep a journal that allows us to see her view.
Theo has hope he can find a cure, or at least find out why the woman doesn’t want to talk anymore. He gets a job at her care center, and then gets assigned as her therapist. He finds there is a connection between one of her paintings and a Greek myth about a woman who stopped speaking.
In the meantime, Theo also discovers his wife is having an affair. These two stories, as well as the patient’s journal, move forward simultaneously throughout the book, ultimately coming together at the end.
Most of our group thought the book was intriguing, a page-turner, and a fun read, but there was a lot of criticism as well. Some members of the book club thought Theo was creepy. Others thought the story was confusing and included too much psychotherapy jargon. And some, in the medical field, objected to the treatment plan for the patient. There was quite a twist at the end, which also had readers objecting to the author’s literary license.
Yet, everyone finished the book! And it was on the Times’ bestseller list for more than a year.
—Joni Mitchell, UMRA Book Club I
‘The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides
Fri, Jul 17, 2026, 2pm
UMRA Book Club I will discuss The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides when it meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 17.
The psychological thriller is a 2019 debut novel in which a psychotherapist named Theo Faber convinces his superior to let him work with Alicia Berenson, a famous painter and patient at the clinic who turned mute after murdering her husband, a fashion photographer.
The story centers on both Theo and his “silent patient,” Alicia. Her diary reveals the events leading up to the murder.
A shocking twist occurs in the plot, and the reader learns the truth.
Email Pat Tollefson to learn more.
Upcoming Events
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