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A review by cwbillings
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Wow. Okay. I REALLY wanted to like this one. The first half kept me on my toes, the mystery and pacing was irresistible. And then the ending turned out to be such a let down. Predictable and anticlimactic. PLUS my major qualm with the book is how the author writes his characters.
The way the male narrator describes the female characters and in turn the way the author writes women veers into misogyny. There are a number of likable male characters mentioned in this book and they have substance. Every woman is either a martyr or a monster.
They all fit into a different stereotype one way or another. Every woman mentioned is a victim, a bitch (calls women this multiple times), or motherly. And their characterization goes no deeper than this. I noticed this about halfway through the book. It’s also worth mentioning, the story heavily takes place in a mental hospital, and somehow all the patients are women.
So, unfortunately, this highly anticipated read became quite a chore to get through for me.
The way the male narrator describes the female characters and in turn the way the author writes women veers into misogyny. There are a number of likable male characters mentioned in this book and they have substance. Every woman is either a martyr or a monster.
They all fit into a different stereotype one way or another. Every woman mentioned is a victim, a bitch (calls women this multiple times), or motherly. And their characterization goes no deeper than this. I noticed this about halfway through the book. It’s also worth mentioning, the story heavily takes place in a mental hospital, and somehow all the patients are women.
So, unfortunately, this highly anticipated read became quite a chore to get through for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Stalking, Medical trauma, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcohol