The Silent Patient

Name: The Silent Patient
Author: Alex Michaelides
ISBN: 9781250301697

by Alex Michaelides

A shocking psychological thriller about a famous painter's sudden violence against her husband and the criminal psychotherapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.

A murder wrapped in absolute silence.

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening, her husband Gabriel returns home late, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to speak, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander: a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with her.

Dark moody background representing The Silent Patient.

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Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.

KODAMA / EDITORIAL NOTE

The author 1977 — PRESENT

Alex Michaelides

Alex Michaelides was born in Cyprus to a Greek Cypriot father and an English mother. He studied English Literature at Cambridge University and received his MA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

His background in screenwriting and interest in Greek tragedy heavily influenced The Silent Patient, his debut novel, which became a instant #1 New York Times bestseller and established him as a premier voice in modern psychological fiction.

ABOUT ALEX MICHAELIDES

Also the author of The Maidens and The Fury.

A few things that make the book even more intriguing.

Inspired by Greek Tragedy.

The story is deeply inspired by Euripides' Greek myth of Alcestis, a woman who dies for her husband and then becomes silent upon returning from the underworld.

Worked in a secure psychiatric facility.

Michaelides spent time working as a staff member at a secure psychiatric facility for teenagers, which provided authentic insights for setting the novel inside The Grove.

Record-breaking debut success.

The novel debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller of 2019.

Screenwriter techniques.

The tight pacing and vivid visual structure stem directly from Michaelides' formal education and career in Hollywood screenwriting.

On screen

When the book became visual.

The film rights were quickly optioned following the book's global success.

IN DEV

The Silent Patient (Feature Film)

Optioned by Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B Entertainment, along with Annapurna Pictures to bring the psychological puzzle to cinema screens.

Watch

Unraveling the silent puzzle.

A detailed discussion and review analyzing the psychological twists, themes, and narrative structure of Alex Michaelides' breakout thriller.

ARCHIVE FILM Alex Michaelides · The Silent Patient · 2019

Dark mysterious imagery evoking The Silent Patient.

Legacy

More than a story about trauma.

The Silent Patient reinvigorated modern psychological thrillers by brilliantly blending classical Greek mythic motifs with contemporary psychoanalytic theory, creating a twist ending that defined late 2010s fiction.

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