Book Review: The Silent Patient - Alex Michealides

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I haven't given a book 5 stars in a while, but this one is a deserving candidate. I romped through it, transfixed by the unusual angle of the storytelling, as the therapist attempts to coax a silent and hostile patient into revealing exactly what happened in the lead up to the murder she's accused of commiting.

But it isn't as simple as that.

Hidden undercurrents lurk as we observe the therapist getting in deep and overstepping the boundaries in order to peel away layers of the truth - and what the patient might be able to recount.

There's a sense right at the start that things are not all as they seem and it becomes clear that the lens through which we see everything has been tilted by the author! It is very clever and a great tale with plenty of twists - especially the cracker at the end! Highly Recommended!

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Book Reviews - Us by David Nicholls

 Us by David Nicholls
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Story
Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that, against all odds, seduces beautiful Connie into a second date and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades after their relationship first blossomed in London, they live more or less happily in the suburbs with their moody seventeen-year-old son, Albie; then Connie tells him she thinks she wants a divorce. 

The timing couldn’t be worse. Hoping to encourage her son’s artistic interests, Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead with the original plan is for the best anyway. Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage and might even help him bond with Albie. 

Narrated from Douglas’s endearingly honest, slyly witty, and at times achingly optimistic point of view, Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves and learning how to get closer to a son who’s always felt like a stranger.

LOVED this book - I mainly read psychological thrillers and it was refreshing to have a change of genre. Having enjoyed 'One Day', I new this author would not disappoint. A tale of pursuit - encapsulated within a 'Grand Tour' of Europe, but with deeper layers involving the search for happiness, forgiveness, faded love and nostalgia. Some beautiful poignant moments, delightful wit, cringe-worthy descriptions of Douglas and his clumsy handling of various travel and domestic incidents that I'm sure many will relate to! A gentle book - sad, hopeful and with lovely philosophical resonances. Highly recommended!

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Book Review: The Moment by Douglas Kennedy

The Moment by Douglas Kennedy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Whilst not a psychological thriller as such, this book contains many 'psychological' themes! Kennedy's books have been described as 'page-turners that make you think' - a fitting tagline in my view.

Swept along by the author's beautiful and fluid language, I was very quickly wrapped up in and mesmerised by the characters and storyline of 'The Moment'. An author, Thomas, receives a surprising package that takes him back to another period in his life. A time when he was on location in Berlin close to ‘the wall’ (mid 1980s), poised to write a non-fiction book about divided Germany. The reader goes back in time with him and follows his daily life as he 'crosses over' - stepping into and back out of the grim existence at that time. On the Western side, we observe him adapting to a quirky bohemian lifestyle, rubbing shoulders with artists and free-thinkers. Then he meets a woman who carries a traumatic and complex history with her.

The book becomes their story and not all is as it seems - an engrossing tale about love, choices, loss and most importantly, the handling of betrayal.

Yes, it probably is a bit too long as noted by other readers. The part where we see a section of the story through the eyes of another narrator, does not add enough in my view, especially as we already know the outcome of events from the first narrator.

Nevertheless, there are twists and unexpected turns in the story and a solid ending. Moments of self-awareness and psychological/philosophical insights sit like little gems within the pages. I have read Douglas Kennedy before and I will be reading more of him.

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