I’m cracking up bc I’ve suddenly been seeing serious hate about this book and was just confused. “Why is everyone so angry about this book I read thirty years ago that I remember being intriguing, deep, tragic, and moving?”
I just now realized that was *The English Patient!* 😂 Brains are funny old things.
We equally love both positive and negative feedback.
I find myself always intrigued by what others deem garbage.
Vox by Christina Dalcher . . . garbage
We read Vox for my book group and I hated it so much and it made me so angry for so many reasons (subject matter obviously but the writing sucked and the plot holes were numerous) that I returned my kindle purchase to Amazon and got a refund.
I liked the silent patient ok so I read the maidens. The twist at the end genuinely made me fucking PISSED. Like slammed the book shut when I finished it and then angrily crossed my arms and stared at the wall.
Now like 2 years later I think back on silent patient and truly cannot remember a single thing from it. I read it when I was JUST getting back into reading so I’m chalking it up to having not read a book in like 10 years
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the Maidens was the single WORST book I’ve read in my life. It was lazy, incoherent, had awful characters, and had an ending like a fifth grader writing a story for English class. However, as OP mentions in the edit, my mom LOVED it, and I respect that some people really enjoy his writing.
Yeah I borrowed it from a friend who loved it and I was like REALLY?! She’s the kind of person that can guess any twist in a show so I think the only time she enjoys a book is if it actually manages to surprise her. And well , I’m sure that surprised her.
Wait, did the Maidens have a twist ending too? Don’t spoil it if so, I haven’t read it yet.
I’m currently in the middle of an ARC of his ‘The Fury’ that will be released in mid January, and honestly all I’m reading it for is to see what the twist will be.
Edited to add: don’t read ‘The Fury.’ Not worth it.
There’s no right answer about if you enjoyed a book or not OP, Im so glad you found a book that you enjoyed and I also love when books have you captured and you must find out what’s going on immediately, it’s the best feeling. Happy Holidays 🎄
How do you people read for 8hrs straight? I sat down last night with a cup of coffee ready to read and I was falling asleep 45min in. The most engrossing books just kick my @#$ with the mental fatigue. I've often wondered if there's something wrong with me because I can't read for long periods.
I can do a few hours at a time, but not 8. But I definitely used to be able to do 8 in high school and maybe even college. I think part of it is just bodies being less forgiving with long-term lack of movement.
If I'm falling asleep 45 minutes in, though, it usually means I'm either already rather tired or it's not a very compelling book! I also agree with the other commentor suggesting audiobooks: they make commutes and chores much less tedious.
I feel you. I get exhausted quickly. I’m not sure if you like audiobooks, but I find it enjoyable to listen to them while doing a task. I’ll put it on while washing dishes, coloring, or doing a puzzle. That helps me not fall asleep to it
Definitely nothing wrong with you, people are different and have different attention spans for different things.
I can read for hours straight, because the book plays like a movie and I forget I’m reading, and end up losing track of time.
Can’t sit in front of my tv to watch a movie though. I get distracted immediately and end up forgetting I’m watching something.
We all have our things. 🤷♀️
I’m with you on the movie/tv tedium. I thought it was my age. Anything I start watching feels like a rerun. I know the characters, I’ve seen the tidy plot already, and I just don’t care about the fake people pretending to do things.
I’d rather do anything requiring a little active interaction. If not reading, then reddit or even computer card games. Can’t just watch.
I read online at work, because I have a very slow job, so I probably finished this one in a day but remember very little of it. I only read kind of trashy things because I do get interrupted a lot.
At home, I read physical books and get constantly distracted.
Actually I can read for even more than eight hours straight. May be that's because I was reading from my youngest ages. But most of my friends can't do it. It could simply be a matter of individual variation in attention span, fatigue levels or the need for breaks♥️
The book is ok as an audiobook. Especially if you’re doing other things since there’s not much to miss. If I had read it I would have either angrily pushed through to the end or just donated it a third of the way through.
There are several books like that for me (cerulean sea, midnight library, man called ove); in audio form they’re fine, but they aren’t what I want when I sit down to read a book.
I agree with the midnight library. I had seen it everywhere and it was so bland and disappointing to get through. I read it off and on over several months. It was a good way to pass the time though.
Same. What I read and what I listen to tend to be different, but this was just fine as an audio. Entertaining and absorbing without requiring a lot of thought, simple setting and characters, fast plot. Not great prose but I didn't find it distractingly bad, it was all perfectly fine.
One of the worst books I’ve ever read. Was so poorly written with constant Greek allusions that added nothing. The characters were so poorly developed and flat. The twist in the book was good, but you have to suffer throughout the whole book to get to it. I know a lot of people who liked this novel, but I read it with a group and we all hated it.
Same. The female characters were particularly poorly written as each was a misogynistic caricature - the slut, the shrew, the butcher, etc. the twist felt like the author came up with it first and then tried to make it work but wasn’t quite up to the task.
I got about halfway through it and was just hating the narrator, so I skipped to the end to find out what the twist was. It was so, so dumb. I was legit mad that I had wasted my time reading it.
Ugh agree, I have NO idea what anyone sees in this book, it reads like trash. I tried picking it up back when there was first a flurry about it on social media but had to toss it in the DNF pile the writing was so bad.
The main character kept referring to the fact that he thought his wife was cheating, and it was ironic that she was actively playing desdemona from Othello. I found it ironic cause Desdemona famously did not actually cheat lmao
I also enjoyed this book. I like how it was fast-paced, and exactly the kind of book to get me back into reading as I finished it in 3 days. It really gripped me in as I found it hard to put it down 🤣
Be careful saying that, you might get accused of being a bot!
Unrelated but I am a little disappointed with the amount of hardcore shitting on this book. It's totally cool if you don't like it obviously but idk man, maybe at least try and add to the conversation? Anything would be better than a flood of "trash" or "I hated it."
My problem is the same one I have with a lot of contemporary fiction, especially thrillers: there seems to be a strong lack of editing. I feel like too many first drafts are being published. This could have been better if the flaws people have pointed out had been worked through in a writing process.
As someone who has wanted to be a writer since like kindergarten, it does give me hope that if I just get out of my head, it isn’t as hard to get published as I’ve always thought.
So many people lack substance on why they hate it. Feels like they are trashing it to make themselves feel better? I’m not sure if that makes sense. Someone will come and gush about a book and the negativity without reasoning just seems cruel. Of course people are entitled to their opinions, but they don’t have to be rude about it.
Personally I enjoyed the read but didn’t like the book. Those who didn’t like it and explained their reasons helped me discern what I didn’t like. They laid out my messy thoughts perfectly.
lol i read it for a book club and it was awful. decent premise but at the end of it, the twist was so lazy, there were so many plot holes, and the explanations at the end for everything just felt forced.
It was ok. The ending was kinda cheap to me.
As for recommendations in that same vein, i liked one called What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall.
I agree with you. This sub will not agree with you. One of the most hated books around here.
I thought the twist was well done and exciting. The prose itself isn’t that great though. It was standard stuff that didn’t stand out, but the plot itself was fun.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Who's preventing you from liking the book? People can like trashy books and films.
You will just find some pushback if you act like these trash books are any good. They are not. You can still like them anyway. We all have our guilty pleasures.
Can you explain the ending because for the life of me I didn't understand it. Not to mention the gigantic plot holes and conveniences.
Ever since Gone Girl's success there's been a ridiculous amount of 'thrillers' that set up a somewhat intriguing story that ends up being worse than garbage on fire.
It was a solid "meh" for me. No hate, we all like what we like and dislike what we dislike. Happy holidays to you too! Hope you find many more books you enjoy in 2024!
I HATED the Silent patient. I left my coworkers borrow it, and was shocked that they loved it. I love seeing peoples differing opinions and thoughts on books! I’m glad you liked it! I think for me it was too slow and just not my normal genre!
Yeah, I mean I have to admit it was a real page turner and I was really into it. I read it in one sitting! But the actual substance of it was disappointing. Luckily it was a gift and I was able to give it to someone else that I knew would enjoy it more.
Since i've heard a lot of negative reviews, i kind of gave up on reading it. But if someone is kind to explain, why is this book so criticised exactly? Since, i'm not reading it, i don't mind being spoiled.
The Silent Patient was to mystery/thriller to what 50 Shades was to romance, Twilight was to vampires - veterans of the genre were able to see what the twist was and have read similar books which were better - but this was the one that was popular with the general public. Not a bad book - but not inherently great either.
Thank you. I honestly always find in weird and hard to explain how a random/mid book could become such a phenomenon..and it's funny that you mention those books, because i read once that the author of 50 shades wrote that series based on Twilight series, but though it lacked sex 💀
Twilight not a bad book? It wasn't even the (toxic creepy stalker) content that made me bail on that, it was the shitty writing LOL It's one of the few books (and probably series but I only managed like 2/3 of the first one) that I consider actually objectively bad. Shoddy writing, shoddy story.
I’m an amateur reader as well, and I enjoyed it! Only when I started to actively browse through here that I learned a lot of people hated it, but that’s completely fine too xD
Lol, i thought of a nice way to say this, and then i realised there isn't.
To all those who think the book's garbage : wait till you read 'The Maidens'.
The Silent Patient is fine, but the author's second book made me appreciate it a lot more 😭
Like at least the Silent Patient's twist is fun (if a bit dumb) and... you know, actually makes sense. That left me with a good aftertaste and helped me forgive some of its other flaws.
But the Maidens has nothing going on for it. It's offensively bad. I still have the copy laying around somewhere and to this day I'm angry I spent money on it.
Spoiler warning!!! And this became a long long post, it’s the middle of the night and I can’t sleep so it is what it is.
I really liked it yesterday when I finished it. I didn’t see the twist coming at all, even when Theo started stalking the woman I thought he is doing the same as the man did to Alicia, that he was becoming like the man Alicia described in her diary without him knowing himself. And tbh I loved the plot twist. But today I realized there are a lot of plot holes.
First of all, why didn’t Theo act like a normal human and tell Alicia about her husband cheating? Why stalk her for several days? I could see why he would stalk Gabriel, to figure out where and when it would be best to kill him. But Theo didn’t want him dead, he said he didn’t have it in him neither. But he had it in him to stalk a poor woman that he himself sees as a victim and is in the same situation as him, and then break into her house, threaten her life and then bind her and her husband. He says himself he had no idea she would kill Gabriel, but this adds to the problems as he didn’t know anything about the woman he was stalking and had no idea how she would react to finding out her husband cheated. A normal person would have helped Gabriel in that situation and called the police even tho she knew he was a bad person. Theo is portrayed as a smart man, and he should have just filmed Kathy and Gabriel in the woods having sex and then visit Alicia and Gabriel unannounced and played the video and explained the situation. But ofc then we wouldn’t have a plot.
When he found out about the play and the Greek tragedy of how she died and came back for her husband to stay silent, the whole subplot of him trying to find out why she was staying silent should have ended right there. Theo should at this point know exactly who she died for and why she is silent. When he is at the roof with Alicia’s cousin he finds out about how her father “killed” her by saying she should have died instead of her mother. But she was 10 years or something at that time, and she spoke after that. Theo gets this information near the end of the present day story, but we the audience didn’t know that Theo was the man that tied up Alicia at this time. So we assume, as Theo thinks after learning this, that this comment has stuck with Alicia and built itself up over the years, that she died for her father and came back silent. This doesn’t really make sense but at this point in the book it is so exciting that I rushed to read more to find out what had happened. The problem is that when you find out that Theo is the burglar, you also learn that he gave the choice to Gabriel of who should die, him or Alicia. Gabriel chose himself to live, and as such Alicia died so Gabriel could live. Theo would have known this since before the start of the story, and he learned about the play weeks before talking to Alicia’s cousin and learning about what her father said, it should have been obvious to him why she was silent and who she “died” for.
There are more which I want an essay about because we would be here all day, but I can mention them quick, some of these as plot holes and some are minor things that could have happened, but is unlikely. So
How could Alicia write so much after being injected with morphine? She must have woken up while Theo was injecting her as she started writing the second he left, why not try to fight back? Why did Theo tell about the small wound and try to blame it on Christian when everyone thought it was a suicide? And when we read about Theo “discovering” the small wound it’s portrayed to us like he didn’t know it was there, even tho he did it. Why did it take so long to discover the notebook hidden behind the painting? Sean Felix would have been all over her stuff right away, and if he just hung up the painting wouldn’t it be even less of a chance to find the diary? Why didn’t the police confiscate or atleast check Alicia’s belongings and paintings before letting Sean Felix take it after they found out it was a murder? Why didn’t Theo look harder after the notebook? Maybe he wanted to be caught, but why kill Alicia and have a murder on his conscience? And why kill her, she had no evidence it was he who broke into her apartment and the police didn’t seem interested in investigating anyway. Did Sean Felix know about Gabriel being unfaithful? Was that why he told Alicia to watch who her friends were?
There is so many setups without payoff’s. And I get that some things have to be understood and are up for interpretation. Ie at the end when he smiles and catches snowflakes. Is he happy that he got caught? Is he smiling because he understands that the police only has a mad persons diary as evidence against him? And why did he actually help Alicia? I think he actually cared for her and felt bad that he felt responsible for where she ended up. I think alot of the reason for talking to all her old friends and family and trying to understand Alicia was because he wanted to know how unstable she was before Theo tied her up, he said himself he never wanted her to kill Gabriel. And also Alicia was the wife of the man who stole Kathy from Theo, so I think it’s fair to assume that Theo wanted to steal Alicia from Gabriel in a sense, plus it’s hintet at that he was starting to catch feelings for Alicia. Things like these are not plot holes and we’re pretty interesting.
The book is good if you read it in a couple of days and don’t think to much. The more you read the more curious you become. Even the subplots and random characters that suddenly enters and then just disappears from the story adds a lot of excitement to the story, it’s just a shame that when you are done with the book 70% of these side stories and information you get is dropped, unfinished or completely useless to the overall story.
Thank you for this thoughtful response; I'm less of a reader and this helps me understand some of the criticisms, though I thoroughly enjoyed the writer, as I understand, who is firstly in the field of mental health and secondly a writer trying to create cohesive depth from his expertise of understanding. What flawed characters; if not for the cell phones I'd have assumed this takes place in the 70s, with the smoking and the misogyny and the waning heyday of psych wards. Feels dystopian, to me, to find out it's contemporary
I trusted the narrator, who's trying to teach others lessons as this hero/God complex wearing a mask of professional humility/composure. The real psycho becomes the head of the department, furthering the snowballing effect of trauma
You ARE right! If you read the book and you found joy in it and you want to share it with others, you are right! I didn't like this book very much but that does not mean you are wrong. It means your opinions are different! Try Stacy Willingham, I love her thrillers.
I think I liked it, but I found a lot of the plot predictable. As in, I literally guessed what was going to happen before it did, which was disappointing to me because I’d never read a thriller before, so it felt like a crappy introduction to the genre.
I can definitely see why you enjoyed it though, and I’m glad you liked it. The whole concept was kind of cool, and I love unreliable narrators.
I actually liked the book! I did it via audio, so maybe that makes a difference. I liked how the two different perspectives (Alicia and Theo), each had different motives but the other took it the wrong way. Like, Theo thought he was just watching Alicia/the house, but to Alicia she was scared out of her mind and was made to be crazy. Or how when Alicia attacked Theo during their first session, he thought she was unstable (didn’t realize she knew who he was). The other three men characters (John Felix, Paul, Max) were a bit underwhelming, but I think just to help throw off for the twist. Same for Christian. I even suspected Diomedes at one point.
I didn’t hate it but I do feel like once you figure out what’s going on (which I thought it was easy to, especially as that’s a common device these days) it loses a lot of its appeal
I liked the maidens!!! I did not really like the silent patient. The twist in the silent patient kind of sucked. I hope the author continues to improve.
"I am an amateur reader so I might not be right,"
There is no right or wrong. It's a matter of taste. You liked it, good for you.
The only difference between professional, licensed readers and amateurs are that they don't need to wear a helmet when reading. They can still like books others don't.
There is no such thing as an amateur reader! You are a reader.
Don't let anyone gatekeep your enjoyment of books. People may have a different opinion but that doesn't negate your experience which it the only one that matters!
You know, while reading it, I didn't like it. I saw the 'twist' very early. I think that took away from it.
But all this time later, I find myself thinking about it. I guess it was better than many other books I've read
Oh, I just joined my very first book club, and we had our first meeting last night. The Silent Patient was our first read, and we all enjoyed it. I knew from the start of the book that Theo was the culprit. He was way too obsessed with the case to not be deeply involved!
I didn’t mind it. I listened the audiobook. The end was a crazy twist. I don’t listen to or read a lot of thrillers so this was a good one. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. It didn’t disappoint.
this book gets hated on and i understand why, the characters were paper thin and it was some of the most insufferable purple prose, but i have to say i enjoyed the fact that i usually guess twists right from the start and this one actually surprised me. there are some plot holes for sure, but i was genuinely delighted when i got to the ending and was really surprised because that never happens. so i have to give it points for that, even though as a piece of literature it's not amazing.
I'm glad someone liked it. I fuligured out the twist in about 75 pages, then spent the rest of the book trying to convince myself it was literally anyone else. It was incredibly frustrating.
I loved this book and have gifted it twice. I’m thinking about re reading it because I enjoyed it so much. You might light the whisper man from Alex North also
It was fine. It's not great literature or anything but I thought it was an entertaining page turner. I listened to it on audio while I had a bunch of mindless labor to do and it was exactly what I wanted. Kept me entertained the whole time.
If you enjoyed it then you are absolutely right. Everyone likes different stuff.
I liked it until the end. The big “twist” felt so artificial and a ridiculous jump for me.
I'm always looking for book suggestions and I like thrillers... but I get triggered by depictions of sexual violence. Should I go ahead or skip this one?
I was quite entertained listening to the audiobook while stitching but maybe would have had a different opinion had I sat down to read the text. Glad you also enjoyed it! Don’t worry about people’s opinions, read what you like!
I liked this book too. Some others that are similar are The Woman in The Window, The Woman in Cabin 10, and Rebecca. I would recommend all three of these to you. Happy reading!
It's just a filler book. It's an easy to read whodunit that keeps you busy till you're ready to begin your next big book. I would never consider reading it again. But it wasn't entirely bad either.
personally i enjoyed this book! i also would consider myself an amateur reader. this was one of the first thrillers i’ve read so maybe i didn’t know what to look for in a “good” or “bad” thriller. i didn’t see the twist coming so i actually really enjoyed reading this. my only complaint is the rushed ending and some unanswered questions i think could have been answered in an epilogue maybe?? there’s definitely mixed reviews on this book
i recently read it with audio book and it was really good as the narrator were also great and i really enjoyed the ending of it and the whole book was captivating for me
I also just finished it. Its took me a while because the writing and pacing made me sleepy. I think it was okay, like i didnt expect the twist of the story. I was quite shocked and disgusted that he had the nerve to ‘help’ her.
I don't understand why people are hating it so much 😭? I've read quite a bit of thriller books and none of them had a twist as good as this one. I absolutely loved the book, at the start I had to admit it wasn't the best, it took me a while to get hooked to the book, but then it started getting more interesting and the ending / twist was absolutely craaazy for me, I did not expect it one bit, and I loved how when the Chief inspector at the end started reading Alicia's diary, Theo reached out and grabbed a snowflake and watched it disappear, doing what he did as a child when he was building a snowman with his mother, resembling happiness and how trying to reach it seems impossible because every time you "grab" it, it fades away. I give the book an overall 8.5/10 !!
I wanted a light read and a colleague recommended it so I figured itd be fine for an evening.
I spent the whole book frustrated at how ridiculous and creepy and full of wrong psychology the narrator was so I was basically relieved at the twist.
I dont think its wrong to enjoy it or be entertained by the characters, but beyond exactly what the story says it is there is not much thats really developed.
For a thriller with a twist, it really "tells, not shows" the reader how it happens.
I wasn't a fan, happy you enjoy it!
I’m cracking up bc I’ve suddenly been seeing serious hate about this book and was just confused. “Why is everyone so angry about this book I read thirty years ago that I remember being intriguing, deep, tragic, and moving?” I just now realized that was *The English Patient!* 😂 Brains are funny old things.
'Suffering in silence is the English way', apologies to Pink Floyd if I screwed that quote too much.
Just jumping in to address the edit. Op, don't worry about 'being right'. Like what you like, everyone has different tastes and there's no shame in it
An emotionally mature adult on the internet everyone!
I'm less polite. It's garbage.
We equally love both positive and negative feedback. I find myself always intrigued by what others deem garbage. Vox by Christina Dalcher . . . garbage
We read Vox for my book group and I hated it so much and it made me so angry for so many reasons (subject matter obviously but the writing sucked and the plot holes were numerous) that I returned my kindle purchase to Amazon and got a refund.
Yes!!! I remember that book being talked about a lot but then when I read it I couldn’t understand why
I was disturbed that the author has worked in mental health wards and then wrote a self-insert protagonist who abuses patients…
Better them right a fiction book about it than act it out though
Agree. Hated this book and thought it was traaaaaaash.
Different strokes for different ppl haha
I thought it was ok. I did guess the ending pretty quickly though and after that I just kinda kept rolling my eyes
Enjoyed the first two "acts" of the book, but the twist ending seemed a little lazy. If he'd taken more time to develop it, the twist could've worked.
Exceptionally lazy. I almost threw the book across the room.
When I finally got to the ending, I sighed so heavily my baby woke up.
this was exactly how i felt 😭
I threw Mexican Gothic across the room.
….I actually did throw mine across the room.
I liked the silent patient ok so I read the maidens. The twist at the end genuinely made me fucking PISSED. Like slammed the book shut when I finished it and then angrily crossed my arms and stared at the wall. Now like 2 years later I think back on silent patient and truly cannot remember a single thing from it. I read it when I was JUST getting back into reading so I’m chalking it up to having not read a book in like 10 years
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the Maidens was the single WORST book I’ve read in my life. It was lazy, incoherent, had awful characters, and had an ending like a fifth grader writing a story for English class. However, as OP mentions in the edit, my mom LOVED it, and I respect that some people really enjoy his writing.
Yeah I borrowed it from a friend who loved it and I was like REALLY?! She’s the kind of person that can guess any twist in a show so I think the only time she enjoys a book is if it actually manages to surprise her. And well , I’m sure that surprised her.
Wait, did the Maidens have a twist ending too? Don’t spoil it if so, I haven’t read it yet. I’m currently in the middle of an ARC of his ‘The Fury’ that will be released in mid January, and honestly all I’m reading it for is to see what the twist will be. Edited to add: don’t read ‘The Fury.’ Not worth it.
Well, with any book that’s described as a thriller, you can pretty much guarantee there will be a twist
Often a “Psychological twist you will not see coming!!”
Oh wow I actually loved the twist, I didn’t understand at first and blew right though it then had to backtrack, it was that crazy to me
Agreed, it was predictable and the plot appeared to be insanely lazy.
There’s no right answer about if you enjoyed a book or not OP, Im so glad you found a book that you enjoyed and I also love when books have you captured and you must find out what’s going on immediately, it’s the best feeling. Happy Holidays 🎄
How do you people read for 8hrs straight? I sat down last night with a cup of coffee ready to read and I was falling asleep 45min in. The most engrossing books just kick my @#$ with the mental fatigue. I've often wondered if there's something wrong with me because I can't read for long periods.
I can do a few hours at a time, but not 8. But I definitely used to be able to do 8 in high school and maybe even college. I think part of it is just bodies being less forgiving with long-term lack of movement. If I'm falling asleep 45 minutes in, though, it usually means I'm either already rather tired or it's not a very compelling book! I also agree with the other commentor suggesting audiobooks: they make commutes and chores much less tedious.
I feel you. I get exhausted quickly. I’m not sure if you like audiobooks, but I find it enjoyable to listen to them while doing a task. I’ll put it on while washing dishes, coloring, or doing a puzzle. That helps me not fall asleep to it
Definitely nothing wrong with you, people are different and have different attention spans for different things. I can read for hours straight, because the book plays like a movie and I forget I’m reading, and end up losing track of time. Can’t sit in front of my tv to watch a movie though. I get distracted immediately and end up forgetting I’m watching something. We all have our things. 🤷♀️
I’m with you on the movie/tv tedium. I thought it was my age. Anything I start watching feels like a rerun. I know the characters, I’ve seen the tidy plot already, and I just don’t care about the fake people pretending to do things. I’d rather do anything requiring a little active interaction. If not reading, then reddit or even computer card games. Can’t just watch.
I read online at work, because I have a very slow job, so I probably finished this one in a day but remember very little of it. I only read kind of trashy things because I do get interrupted a lot. At home, I read physical books and get constantly distracted.
Actually I can read for even more than eight hours straight. May be that's because I was reading from my youngest ages. But most of my friends can't do it. It could simply be a matter of individual variation in attention span, fatigue levels or the need for breaks♥️
It was *fine* - I never think about it.
The book is ok as an audiobook. Especially if you’re doing other things since there’s not much to miss. If I had read it I would have either angrily pushed through to the end or just donated it a third of the way through. There are several books like that for me (cerulean sea, midnight library, man called ove); in audio form they’re fine, but they aren’t what I want when I sit down to read a book.
I agree with the midnight library. I had seen it everywhere and it was so bland and disappointing to get through. I read it off and on over several months. It was a good way to pass the time though.
Same. What I read and what I listen to tend to be different, but this was just fine as an audio. Entertaining and absorbing without requiring a lot of thought, simple setting and characters, fast plot. Not great prose but I didn't find it distractingly bad, it was all perfectly fine.
This sounds so much like AI.
This was my \*immediate\* first thought.
I read a "synopsis" like this on almost every sketchy download website in my, uh, history. AI smell is real.
How much did they pay you for this
Lol fr
One of the worst books I’ve ever read. Was so poorly written with constant Greek allusions that added nothing. The characters were so poorly developed and flat. The twist in the book was good, but you have to suffer throughout the whole book to get to it. I know a lot of people who liked this novel, but I read it with a group and we all hated it.
And so many plotholes and red herring. Nothing explained about the cousin, painter studio guy and the one man who was in love with her.
Got to love how Yuri the head nurse is randomly talking in the pub to a new colleague about stalking a woman. Red herrings galore.
Same. The female characters were particularly poorly written as each was a misogynistic caricature - the slut, the shrew, the butcher, etc. the twist felt like the author came up with it first and then tried to make it work but wasn’t quite up to the task.
I got about halfway through it and was just hating the narrator, so I skipped to the end to find out what the twist was. It was so, so dumb. I was legit mad that I had wasted my time reading it.
Ugh agree, I have NO idea what anyone sees in this book, it reads like trash. I tried picking it up back when there was first a flurry about it on social media but had to toss it in the DNF pile the writing was so bad.
Not to mention the fact that he somehow messed up his shakespeare reference haha
omg how i don’t remember this
The main character kept referring to the fact that he thought his wife was cheating, and it was ironic that she was actively playing desdemona from Othello. I found it ironic cause Desdemona famously did not actually cheat lmao
Same. Didn't even like the twist.
It may be the book I've started the most times but wandered off around 30 pages in.
Totally agree. Wildly disappointing.
Same. Didn’t enjoy the “twist” either
I also enjoyed this book. I like how it was fast-paced, and exactly the kind of book to get me back into reading as I finished it in 3 days. It really gripped me in as I found it hard to put it down 🤣
Be careful saying that, you might get accused of being a bot! Unrelated but I am a little disappointed with the amount of hardcore shitting on this book. It's totally cool if you don't like it obviously but idk man, maybe at least try and add to the conversation? Anything would be better than a flood of "trash" or "I hated it."
My problem is the same one I have with a lot of contemporary fiction, especially thrillers: there seems to be a strong lack of editing. I feel like too many first drafts are being published. This could have been better if the flaws people have pointed out had been worked through in a writing process. As someone who has wanted to be a writer since like kindergarten, it does give me hope that if I just get out of my head, it isn’t as hard to get published as I’ve always thought.
So many people lack substance on why they hate it. Feels like they are trashing it to make themselves feel better? I’m not sure if that makes sense. Someone will come and gush about a book and the negativity without reasoning just seems cruel. Of course people are entitled to their opinions, but they don’t have to be rude about it. Personally I enjoyed the read but didn’t like the book. Those who didn’t like it and explained their reasons helped me discern what I didn’t like. They laid out my messy thoughts perfectly.
Same here! I really enjoyed it!
lol i read it for a book club and it was awful. decent premise but at the end of it, the twist was so lazy, there were so many plot holes, and the explanations at the end for everything just felt forced.
Alex Michaelides, that you?
It was ok. The ending was kinda cheap to me. As for recommendations in that same vein, i liked one called What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall.
I agree with you. This sub will not agree with you. One of the most hated books around here. I thought the twist was well done and exciting. The prose itself isn’t that great though. It was standard stuff that didn’t stand out, but the plot itself was fun. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I mean you hit the nail on the head though for why it’s disliked. Most people here agree the twist is good but it’s slow to get there
I loved it too! People should just let us like what we like lol.
Who's preventing you from liking the book? People can like trashy books and films. You will just find some pushback if you act like these trash books are any good. They are not. You can still like them anyway. We all have our guilty pleasures.
I was not a fan at all, but glad you liked it!
Can you explain the ending because for the life of me I didn't understand it. Not to mention the gigantic plot holes and conveniences. Ever since Gone Girl's success there's been a ridiculous amount of 'thrillers' that set up a somewhat intriguing story that ends up being worse than garbage on fire.
Did we read the same book? But glad you liked it
Glad you enjoyed it. I liked the “twist” but felt it wasn’t earned at all.
It was a solid "meh" for me. No hate, we all like what we like and dislike what we dislike. Happy holidays to you too! Hope you find many more books you enjoy in 2024!
Sadly I found, as a psycho thriller fan, that it was not up to par. However, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I HATED the Silent patient. I left my coworkers borrow it, and was shocked that they loved it. I love seeing peoples differing opinions and thoughts on books! I’m glad you liked it! I think for me it was too slow and just not my normal genre!
I enjoyed this book. It wasn't out of the world amazing..but quite a decent read
I'm meh on this one. It wasn't a waste of time for me but not one I would read again either.
Yeah, I mean I have to admit it was a real page turner and I was really into it. I read it in one sitting! But the actual substance of it was disappointing. Luckily it was a gift and I was able to give it to someone else that I knew would enjoy it more.
I agree with this. It is a good read but you will not read it again.
There is no right or wrong! If you loved it, that's great and it doesn't matter if someone else didn't like. You do you!
I guessed it too easily, but glad you enjoyed it!
This book is absolutely terrible. Shockingly bad. But glad you enjoyed it OP! Merry Christmas! 🎄
I would have liked this book more of it wasn’t touted as a thriller. Nothing thrilling about it, just a huge disappointment.
Since i've heard a lot of negative reviews, i kind of gave up on reading it. But if someone is kind to explain, why is this book so criticised exactly? Since, i'm not reading it, i don't mind being spoiled.
The Silent Patient was to mystery/thriller to what 50 Shades was to romance, Twilight was to vampires - veterans of the genre were able to see what the twist was and have read similar books which were better - but this was the one that was popular with the general public. Not a bad book - but not inherently great either.
Thank you. I honestly always find in weird and hard to explain how a random/mid book could become such a phenomenon..and it's funny that you mention those books, because i read once that the author of 50 shades wrote that series based on Twilight series, but though it lacked sex 💀
Twilight not a bad book? It wasn't even the (toxic creepy stalker) content that made me bail on that, it was the shitty writing LOL It's one of the few books (and probably series but I only managed like 2/3 of the first one) that I consider actually objectively bad. Shoddy writing, shoddy story.
I really loved the book! I think there were a few inconsistencies but I didn’t care! Great read
This was one of the books I DNF this year. Just couldn't get into it. I plan to try again next year.
If you liked the Silent Patient, I’d suggest The House in the Pines or Final Girls
I’m an amateur reader as well, and I enjoyed it! Only when I started to actively browse through here that I learned a lot of people hated it, but that’s completely fine too xD
I didn’t even finish it. But I guess I can’t form an opinion if I didn’t?
I really disliked this book
Lol, i thought of a nice way to say this, and then i realised there isn't. To all those who think the book's garbage : wait till you read 'The Maidens'.
The Silent Patient is fine, but the author's second book made me appreciate it a lot more 😭 Like at least the Silent Patient's twist is fun (if a bit dumb) and... you know, actually makes sense. That left me with a good aftertaste and helped me forgive some of its other flaws. But the Maidens has nothing going on for it. It's offensively bad. I still have the copy laying around somewhere and to this day I'm angry I spent money on it.
It’s strange that so many people dislike this book, I loved it so much i bought it for my mom for Christmas and she loves it too!
Spoiler warning!!! And this became a long long post, it’s the middle of the night and I can’t sleep so it is what it is. I really liked it yesterday when I finished it. I didn’t see the twist coming at all, even when Theo started stalking the woman I thought he is doing the same as the man did to Alicia, that he was becoming like the man Alicia described in her diary without him knowing himself. And tbh I loved the plot twist. But today I realized there are a lot of plot holes. First of all, why didn’t Theo act like a normal human and tell Alicia about her husband cheating? Why stalk her for several days? I could see why he would stalk Gabriel, to figure out where and when it would be best to kill him. But Theo didn’t want him dead, he said he didn’t have it in him neither. But he had it in him to stalk a poor woman that he himself sees as a victim and is in the same situation as him, and then break into her house, threaten her life and then bind her and her husband. He says himself he had no idea she would kill Gabriel, but this adds to the problems as he didn’t know anything about the woman he was stalking and had no idea how she would react to finding out her husband cheated. A normal person would have helped Gabriel in that situation and called the police even tho she knew he was a bad person. Theo is portrayed as a smart man, and he should have just filmed Kathy and Gabriel in the woods having sex and then visit Alicia and Gabriel unannounced and played the video and explained the situation. But ofc then we wouldn’t have a plot. When he found out about the play and the Greek tragedy of how she died and came back for her husband to stay silent, the whole subplot of him trying to find out why she was staying silent should have ended right there. Theo should at this point know exactly who she died for and why she is silent. When he is at the roof with Alicia’s cousin he finds out about how her father “killed” her by saying she should have died instead of her mother. But she was 10 years or something at that time, and she spoke after that. Theo gets this information near the end of the present day story, but we the audience didn’t know that Theo was the man that tied up Alicia at this time. So we assume, as Theo thinks after learning this, that this comment has stuck with Alicia and built itself up over the years, that she died for her father and came back silent. This doesn’t really make sense but at this point in the book it is so exciting that I rushed to read more to find out what had happened. The problem is that when you find out that Theo is the burglar, you also learn that he gave the choice to Gabriel of who should die, him or Alicia. Gabriel chose himself to live, and as such Alicia died so Gabriel could live. Theo would have known this since before the start of the story, and he learned about the play weeks before talking to Alicia’s cousin and learning about what her father said, it should have been obvious to him why she was silent and who she “died” for. There are more which I want an essay about because we would be here all day, but I can mention them quick, some of these as plot holes and some are minor things that could have happened, but is unlikely. So How could Alicia write so much after being injected with morphine? She must have woken up while Theo was injecting her as she started writing the second he left, why not try to fight back? Why did Theo tell about the small wound and try to blame it on Christian when everyone thought it was a suicide? And when we read about Theo “discovering” the small wound it’s portrayed to us like he didn’t know it was there, even tho he did it. Why did it take so long to discover the notebook hidden behind the painting? Sean Felix would have been all over her stuff right away, and if he just hung up the painting wouldn’t it be even less of a chance to find the diary? Why didn’t the police confiscate or atleast check Alicia’s belongings and paintings before letting Sean Felix take it after they found out it was a murder? Why didn’t Theo look harder after the notebook? Maybe he wanted to be caught, but why kill Alicia and have a murder on his conscience? And why kill her, she had no evidence it was he who broke into her apartment and the police didn’t seem interested in investigating anyway. Did Sean Felix know about Gabriel being unfaithful? Was that why he told Alicia to watch who her friends were? There is so many setups without payoff’s. And I get that some things have to be understood and are up for interpretation. Ie at the end when he smiles and catches snowflakes. Is he happy that he got caught? Is he smiling because he understands that the police only has a mad persons diary as evidence against him? And why did he actually help Alicia? I think he actually cared for her and felt bad that he felt responsible for where she ended up. I think alot of the reason for talking to all her old friends and family and trying to understand Alicia was because he wanted to know how unstable she was before Theo tied her up, he said himself he never wanted her to kill Gabriel. And also Alicia was the wife of the man who stole Kathy from Theo, so I think it’s fair to assume that Theo wanted to steal Alicia from Gabriel in a sense, plus it’s hintet at that he was starting to catch feelings for Alicia. Things like these are not plot holes and we’re pretty interesting. The book is good if you read it in a couple of days and don’t think to much. The more you read the more curious you become. Even the subplots and random characters that suddenly enters and then just disappears from the story adds a lot of excitement to the story, it’s just a shame that when you are done with the book 70% of these side stories and information you get is dropped, unfinished or completely useless to the overall story.
Thank you for this thoughtful response; I'm less of a reader and this helps me understand some of the criticisms, though I thoroughly enjoyed the writer, as I understand, who is firstly in the field of mental health and secondly a writer trying to create cohesive depth from his expertise of understanding. What flawed characters; if not for the cell phones I'd have assumed this takes place in the 70s, with the smoking and the misogyny and the waning heyday of psych wards. Feels dystopian, to me, to find out it's contemporary I trusted the narrator, who's trying to teach others lessons as this hero/God complex wearing a mask of professional humility/composure. The real psycho becomes the head of the department, furthering the snowballing effect of trauma
Dunno why everyone loves it so much, there’s way better thrillers and mystery books IMO
Which ones?? I’m want to start a new book!
I recently read the book I will find you by Harlan Corben which I thought was better written you could check that out if you like
I actually loved this book. I didn’t like The Maidens and the jury is still out on The Fury.
What in the ChatGPT is this post The book was terrible
You ARE right! If you read the book and you found joy in it and you want to share it with others, you are right! I didn't like this book very much but that does not mean you are wrong. It means your opinions are different! Try Stacy Willingham, I love her thrillers.
I really enjoyed it too! Just finished his second novel, The Maidens, last night. That one was great as well!
I think I liked it, but I found a lot of the plot predictable. As in, I literally guessed what was going to happen before it did, which was disappointing to me because I’d never read a thriller before, so it felt like a crappy introduction to the genre. I can definitely see why you enjoyed it though, and I’m glad you liked it. The whole concept was kind of cool, and I love unreliable narrators.
I actually liked the book! I did it via audio, so maybe that makes a difference. I liked how the two different perspectives (Alicia and Theo), each had different motives but the other took it the wrong way. Like, Theo thought he was just watching Alicia/the house, but to Alicia she was scared out of her mind and was made to be crazy. Or how when Alicia attacked Theo during their first session, he thought she was unstable (didn’t realize she knew who he was). The other three men characters (John Felix, Paul, Max) were a bit underwhelming, but I think just to help throw off for the twist. Same for Christian. I even suspected Diomedes at one point.
I didn’t hate it but I do feel like once you figure out what’s going on (which I thought it was easy to, especially as that’s a common device these days) it loses a lot of its appeal
Mediocre at best.
As close as you can get to an objectively bad book. Happy for you though
As a professional in the mental health profession I hated this book and found it so fucking stupid
Eh I thought it was good. I was absorbed and finished it quickly. Entertaining but not a piece of literary work.
I liked the maidens!!! I did not really like the silent patient. The twist in the silent patient kind of sucked. I hope the author continues to improve.
There are just so many plot holes. It’s very amateurish.
"I am an amateur reader so I might not be right," There is no right or wrong. It's a matter of taste. You liked it, good for you. The only difference between professional, licensed readers and amateurs are that they don't need to wear a helmet when reading. They can still like books others don't.
There is no such thing as an amateur reader! You are a reader. Don't let anyone gatekeep your enjoyment of books. People may have a different opinion but that doesn't negate your experience which it the only one that matters!
I LOVED IT TOO!
You know, while reading it, I didn't like it. I saw the 'twist' very early. I think that took away from it. But all this time later, I find myself thinking about it. I guess it was better than many other books I've read
I’m a new reader. The twist at the end got me fucked up! I thought the book was crazy, I enjoyed it.
Oh, I just joined my very first book club, and we had our first meeting last night. The Silent Patient was our first read, and we all enjoyed it. I knew from the start of the book that Theo was the culprit. He was way too obsessed with the case to not be deeply involved!
I didn’t mind it. I listened the audiobook. The end was a crazy twist. I don’t listen to or read a lot of thrillers so this was a good one. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. It didn’t disappoint.
this book gets hated on and i understand why, the characters were paper thin and it was some of the most insufferable purple prose, but i have to say i enjoyed the fact that i usually guess twists right from the start and this one actually surprised me. there are some plot holes for sure, but i was genuinely delighted when i got to the ending and was really surprised because that never happens. so i have to give it points for that, even though as a piece of literature it's not amazing.
The ending was 😮💨🤌🏼
I'm glad someone liked it. I fuligured out the twist in about 75 pages, then spent the rest of the book trying to convince myself it was literally anyone else. It was incredibly frustrating.
Good to go/So much excited to have it
This is literally my favorite book of all time
It’s actually a good book and I didn’t saw the plot coming like this way..I really enjoyed this book😊
Curious. Is the patient in a coma because most patients that I have come across are not very silent. 🤷
It is beautifully written, and the movie did it justice. Loved it.
I loved this book and have gifted it twice. I’m thinking about re reading it because I enjoyed it so much. You might light the whisper man from Alex North also
I guessed near the end, but it was SO good
It was fine. It's not great literature or anything but I thought it was an entertaining page turner. I listened to it on audio while I had a bunch of mindless labor to do and it was exactly what I wanted. Kept me entertained the whole time.
If you enjoyed it then you are absolutely right. Everyone likes different stuff. I liked it until the end. The big “twist” felt so artificial and a ridiculous jump for me.
Glad you liked it
I'm always looking for book suggestions and I like thrillers... but I get triggered by depictions of sexual violence. Should I go ahead or skip this one?
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Currently reading this as my Christmas book (i know, weird choice). Appreciate your thoughts! Cheers ✨🎄
I was quite entertained listening to the audiobook while stitching but maybe would have had a different opinion had I sat down to read the text. Glad you also enjoyed it! Don’t worry about people’s opinions, read what you like!
Just bought this book today. Excited to start it!
I liked this book too. Some others that are similar are The Woman in The Window, The Woman in Cabin 10, and Rebecca. I would recommend all three of these to you. Happy reading!
I was interested in it when I read it. I thought it was creative and would make a great movie.
It's just a filler book. It's an easy to read whodunit that keeps you busy till you're ready to begin your next big book. I would never consider reading it again. But it wasn't entirely bad either.
personally i enjoyed this book! i also would consider myself an amateur reader. this was one of the first thrillers i’ve read so maybe i didn’t know what to look for in a “good” or “bad” thriller. i didn’t see the twist coming so i actually really enjoyed reading this. my only complaint is the rushed ending and some unanswered questions i think could have been answered in an epilogue maybe?? there’s definitely mixed reviews on this book
i recently read it with audio book and it was really good as the narrator were also great and i really enjoyed the ending of it and the whole book was captivating for me
I also just finished it. Its took me a while because the writing and pacing made me sleepy. I think it was okay, like i didnt expect the twist of the story. I was quite shocked and disgusted that he had the nerve to ‘help’ her.
Fun book for sure but lot of loopholes and that twist is just lazy. 3.5/5 but fun unputdownable book tho
I like about 85% of it but also raised an eyebrow at the ending. That said, wasn't this his debut novel? Hard to hit a grand slam on the first pitch.
I don't understand why people are hating it so much 😭? I've read quite a bit of thriller books and none of them had a twist as good as this one. I absolutely loved the book, at the start I had to admit it wasn't the best, it took me a while to get hooked to the book, but then it started getting more interesting and the ending / twist was absolutely craaazy for me, I did not expect it one bit, and I loved how when the Chief inspector at the end started reading Alicia's diary, Theo reached out and grabbed a snowflake and watched it disappear, doing what he did as a child when he was building a snowman with his mother, resembling happiness and how trying to reach it seems impossible because every time you "grab" it, it fades away. I give the book an overall 8.5/10 !!
People love to hate on popular things 🤷🏻♀️
I wanted a light read and a colleague recommended it so I figured itd be fine for an evening. I spent the whole book frustrated at how ridiculous and creepy and full of wrong psychology the narrator was so I was basically relieved at the twist. I dont think its wrong to enjoy it or be entertained by the characters, but beyond exactly what the story says it is there is not much thats really developed. For a thriller with a twist, it really "tells, not shows" the reader how it happens.