The Silent Patient

I suppose, as some reviewers have said, that the plot is contrived. However, this twisty psychological thriller and inaugural outing by author Alex Michaelides, definitely surprised me with the ending. We supposedly know whodunnit from the beginning of the book. “The facts, such as they were, were simple: Alicia was found alone with Gabriel’s body; only her fingerprints were on the gun. There was never any doubt she killed Gabriel. Why she killed him, on the other hand, remained a mystery.”Alicia Berenson, an artist, is housed in a secure psychiatric unit, The Grove, outside London, after shooting her fashion photographer husband six times in the face. She has not spoken a word in the six years since the event. Therapist Theo Faber applies for a job there, convinced he can get her to speak. And so the story is revealed alternately from Theo's perspective (past and present) and Alicia's diary. The author draws upon a rather obscure play by Euripedes, Alcestis, in which Alcestis sacrifices her life to save her husband, King Admetus of Thessaly, from death. When the hero Heracles learns of her death, he vows to fight death and bring her back, but she cannot speak for three days before she is returned to life.  "But why does she not speak?" (Euripedes, Alcestis)
The play is a clue of course but the role of Theo is much more complicated, which we should perhaps also surmise, given his near obsession with Alicia. He goes well beyond the usual role of therapist to uncover the dynamics of Alicia's marriage and the circumstances leading up to the murder. I was engrossed and not put off by the overly elaborate entries in Alicia's diary. Worth a read.
The Independent described it as "a high-octane, thought-provoking read reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith, but with its own completely fresh take on the psychological thriller."

Laudatory reviews from The Independent, Publishers Weekly, and The New York Journal of Books. A not particularly flattering review from Kirkus.