The Silent Patient

 There is a Greek myth named Alcestis. In this story a man is sentenced to die unless someone else volunteers to die for him. Alcestis is married to this man and she volunteers to die for him. After she dies, the Gods decide to bring her back to life. Once back to life, she refuses to speak to anyone ever again. According to the interview with the author, Alex Michaelides, the myth of Alcestis was the impetus for his novel The Silent Patient. If you want to read a book with a masterful plot twist at the end, this is the book for you. Alicia Berenson is an artist. She is married to a famous photographer. On one hot August evening in London, Alicia shoots her husband in the face with a gun five times. After that day she refuses to talk. Before she is incarcerated in a mental institution she paints a portrait of Alcestis. After six years of incarceration, a new psychotherapist by the name of Theo is hired and he makes it his goal to get Alicia to talk. Like most psychotherapists, Theo has issues of his own. I loved the rich characters in the book and, most of all, the incredible ending.