Check out all the books I’m reading for the challenge ･ﾟ✧here✧ﾟ･.Īlicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband… The facts, such as they were, were simple: Alicia was found alone with Gabriel’s body only her fingerprints were on the gun. I read this book as part of my 2021 Reading Challenge. The cover has a close-up of what looks like an ancient Greek statue (yes, I tend to judge a book by its cover), and the inside jacket description refers to the “rites of Persephone,” so predictably, I’m intrigued.Support a local bookstore (and this blog!) by purchasing The Silent Patient on. The Silent Patient is Michaelides’ first novel, and it ranks high, in my opinion, as a psychological thriller.īased on how much I enjoyed Patient, I plan to read his next novel The Maidens. The ending was surprising, and I found the parallels between Berenson’s and Faber’s lives, their upbringings, and the relationship between them as patient and doctor well written.

Shall I venture to mention that this “vow” is similar to that practiced by religious orders, and only broken when the intention of God’s worker (Faber) is revealed?

It could even be viewed as a vow, only to be broken when the mystery is solved. Theo Faber (his name loosely translated means “worker for God” and whether Michaelides intended that, I have no idea, but the notion is intriguing and works when one reflects on it at the end of the book), her silence can be puzzling and frustrating. One evening, her husband, Gabriel, returns home late from work, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.”Īs Alicia Berenson’s life enfolds through the treatment of Dr. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. “Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. To pique your curiosity, here is an excerpt from the inside front jacket: Although it has nothing to do with Greece, other than a few Greek names of characters, the story is captivating.

So, expecting a story having something to do with Greece, or at least a Greek, I decided to check it out. Indeed, Michaelides was born in Cyprus to a Greek-Cypriot father. As a classicist, I am attracted to all things Greek, and the patronymic -ides, meaning “the son of Michael,” seemed intriguing. I admit that the title didn’t catch my attention as much as the name of the author. I recommend The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.

Theo faber the maidens