The Silent Patient by Alex MIchaelides

     The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is likely to be my favorite book of the year, and maybe even that I have ever read. 

    From the first sentence of chapter one, we know that 33 year old Alicia Berenson has murdered her husband of seven years.  We know that Gabriel, her husband, was shot several times in the face, and was tied to a chair. We also learn that Alica had some injuries. But, since she went silent after the murder of her husband, we don't know why. We don't know why she shot him, we don't know why he was bound to a chair, we don't know why she had cuts on her wrists. But, the book was going to reveal that to us.

   The book then goes on to introduce us to Theo Farber, a 42 year old psychotherapist, and the story is told through his point of view, and the point of view of Alicia's diary. Through both of these view points we learn the story of why Alicia murdered her husband, who she seemed deeply in love with. I liked the diary entries. It felt like I was getting to know the real Alica, and since she wouldn't talk, I felt like we got details that we shouldn't have.

    This book has an amazing twist to it, and I never expected it. I was reading along, and then BAM! it comes in and throws you for a loop. For a debut novel, this book is incredibly well written, and the twist is so well executed. I could not put this it down. I had to keep reading. I had to know why she killed him. Throughout the whole book, I was convinced at several different moments that someone else had killed him and Alicia was taking the fall for. But since the first sentence of the book, and the summary on the back tells you that Alicia kills him, I feel like I can confirm that she did it. But the fact that I was able to question that the entire time I was reading, was so incredible. It kept me focused, and wondering if I had missed some clue. This book is truly one of the best books I have read, and I am so grateful to have gotten the chance. If you want to read this book for yourself, and trust me, you do, then head over to Amazon and grab yourself a copy. It is due to release in February.