Initially Alicia holds centre stage but the psychotherapist Theo Faber who apparently seems to be a foil emerges as the second protagonist before long. What appears to be a thriller about a murder soon accommodates an intriguing exploration of the complexities of the human mind. While trying to uncover from beneath that deafening silence the complex triggers, the reasons that prompted a talented, rather gentle artist to kill her loving husband, Theo battles with his own demons and his own problems. Emotions run high. Investigations, interviews are undertaken by him as he decides to take upon himself the responsibility of 'rescuing' his patient, Alicia, from total mental devastation.

The narrative, very carefully crafted, intertwines time past and time present till it reaches a climactic revelation — intense, unexpected and devastating. The action moves fast with the suspense, the startling twists goading the readers to keep turning the pages.

However, as we come to the end of the novel, we realize that the author very quietly has made us tread through an amoral world where the 'borderline' between patient and therapist may have been transgressed. We glimpse the twilight zone in the human mind that makes us doubt the reality and embrace a different perspective. Can Alicia's 'silence' be breached? Are we delving into what has been a recurrent subject in psychological novels and therapy sessions — the forgotten shadows of childhood or the workings of a troubled adult mind? Questions crowd our mind, and we try desperately to unravel the occasional hints the author leaves behind as his plot progresses.

Alex Michaelides has deftly interwoven psychological drama with a whiff of unsuspecting myth in this novel.

The Silent Patient goes beyond — from being a fast-paced murder mystery to a work of deep psychological reflection and introspection. It is, indeed, a must-read!