Alex Michaelides is the author of the modern psychological suspense novel The Silent Patient. American author and scriptwriter Alex Michaelides are of Cypriot descent. The Silent Patient is centered in London, where he lives.
After being released, the book quickly climbed to the peak of the New York Times bestsellers list. The narrative centers on Alicia, who murdered her spouse, Gabriel, six years prior and has remained silent.
Theo Faber, a criminal psychologist who just started treatment with Alicia at The Grove, the psychiatric hospital where she is now being treated after Gabriel’s death, provides the narration for most of the book, which is set in the current time.
The aphoristic style of writing is employed throughout the work, with passages from Alicia’s old journal, a recorded account from the old days that describes the days leading up to Gabriel’s murder, interspersed with Theo’s story. These two stories eventually come together, showing that Theo and Alicia have a significantly more intimate history than the initially implied essential doctor-patient connection.
A lady who murdered her spouse is the central character in the suspense novel and film The Silent Patient. Folks want to understand how the conclusion of The Silent Patient is addressed. This post has included The Silent Patient’s storyline synopsis, in-depth analysis, and other information. Having stated that, let us see the “The Silent Patient Ending Explained” piece now.
The Silent Patient: Plot
Alicia Berenson, a well-known artist who was the wife of professional photographer Gabriel Berenson, lives a beautiful existence. She spends most of her time in a lavish home with large windows that front a resort’s scenery.
As her spouse finally arrives late from a photo session, Alicia guns him six times. When Alicia doesn’t speak out or provide a reason for her husband’s death, it quickly spirals into a home tragedy and makes her famous.
Following her partner’s passing, she changes into a mute patient, yet her painting expands. Theo Faber, a forensic psychiatrist, appears to have been anticipating his entire life the chance to collaborate with Alicia. After she killed her spouse, it was simple for him to contact her.
The Silent Patient’s major plotline, the mystery of Alicia Berenson, is introduced by 42-year-old criminal psychiatrist Theo Faber in the narration. The painter Alicia Berenson killed her spouse Gabriel Berenson 6 years ago.
She had just turned 33, and Gabriel was 44 years old. At the site, Alicia was found by the cops; she allegedly gunned down Gabriel five times across the head before slitting her wrist. Since then, Alicia has been quiet.
The sole indication of her mental condition after the killing is an identity she made and marked “ALCESTIS.” She was admitted to The Grove, a psychiatric hospital. Theo’s narration from the current day and excerpts from Alicia’s old journal, which describes the days immediately before Gabriel’s killing, are both used to further the plot.
Six years have passed since the homicide in the beginning. Theo is beginning a brand-new role at The Grove, one he sought out to collaborate with Alicia. He had been enthralled with Alicia’s prominent case for several years.
Theo discovers Alicia, during her initial appointment with her regular psychiatrist, Christian West, severely drugged. Theo demands that they reduce Alicia’s dose since he is eager to talk to her. The following time they meet, Alicia increases her guard and confronts him violently.
The medical supervisor at The Grove, Lazarus Diomedes, steps in and agrees to grant Theo 6 weeks to persuade Alicia to speak, despite Stephanie Clarke, The Grove’s management, wanting to stop Theo’s meetings with her. Theo is driven to discover Alicia’s motivations for killing Gabriel and remaining silent.
Since he could not speak to her, he acted like an investigator and questioned her acquaintances, relatives, and neighbors. Barbie Hellmann, Alicia’s next-door neighbor, reveals to him that Alicia used to have a stalker there in the days leading up to Gabriel’s death.
Theo describes his research into Alicia and aspects of his own life, setting up a narrative about the adultery of his spouse Kathryn, or Kathy. Another evening, Theo unintentionally learns about the liaison.
Theo, who has previously suffered from his psychological issues, finds disloyalty devastating. Outside of The Grove, he adopts the stereotypically envious spouse persona in his personal life, always reading Kathy’s emails and following her when she sees her partner validate his assumptions.
Theo confronts Christian with Alicia’s relatives and acquaintances, notably her brother Paul Rose and her auntie Lydia, using the disclosures from the journal. Theo deduces that Alicia’s mental suicide was triggered by what she witnessed her father stating while she was young. This pivotal event led to her developing a loathing for her father and ultimately making her susceptible to murder.
Theo thinks he knows why Alicia connects with Alcestis after realizing this: Like the tragic figure, Alicia was deceived by a guy who put the life of a different individual above her own. He presents his hypothesis to Alicia.
When Alicia starts speaking, she shares the whole story of Gabriel’s murderous event. She was bound inside by her stranger. Alicia claims that the intruder attacked Gabriel after arriving home, tackled him to the ground, fired him multiple times, and fled.
Theo doesn’t trust this account since it conflicts with the police’s findings that Gabriel was hit five times. Theo returns to The Grove the following day, intending to confront Alicia regarding her deception.
However, when he gets there, he learns she tried to commit suicide and is now unconscious. Theo tells Lazarus that she was intentionally administered a deadly amount of morphine. Lazarus phones the cops and tells Theo to look for Alicia’s journal as proof. Police believe Christian is guilty. Theo was the one who gave out the medication.
The Silent Patient: Ending Explained
Up to this moment, the story seems to focus on Theo’s probe concerning Alicia’s tranquility, while the secondary storyline of Kathy’s adultery is occurring in the current situation. Nevertheless, the story demonstrates that Kathy’s plotline affair occurred six years ago, and the guy she was seeing at the time was Gabriel.
In the days leading up to the killing, Theo was Alicia’s stalker. He intended to murder Gabriel and tracked him to his home. There is where he saw Alicia. The truth is revealed in Alicia’s final journal note, penned before the morphine took hold.
The moment Theo appeared at the Grove, Alicia suspected he might be her stalker. Theo’s response to Alicia’s fabrication of what happened on the evening of the crime supports Alicia’s skepticism. She nevertheless felt responsible for Gabriel’s passing.
Therefore she permitted Theo to administer a lethal dose. Gabriel and Alicia were both restrained by Theo at the moment of the crime. Then he gave Gabriel the option to take his own life or let Alicia perish.
Theo blasted a gun into the sky and walked away when Gabriel decided to survive. Unknown to himself, Theo had brought back the anguish of Alicia’s perception that her dad had wanted her to pass away instead of her mom. Having lost her mind, she killed her spouse.
Theo praises himself for renouncing the righteous thing by attempting to assist Alicia, who he had not intended to become mad and imprisoned, even though he can locate Alicia’s journal and is ignorant that somehow this latest entry remains.
He is allowed to work as the head of yet another organization. The loss of Kathy’s partner has left her feeling sad. However, neither she nor indeed Theo has come clean about their relationship. The book comes to a close when the cops show up with Alicia’s journal. Theo acknowledges that the moment has arrived for him to make up for his wrongdoing. In the end, Alicia’s journal will disclose the reality and help prosecute Theo.
The Silent Patient: Who is the Killer at the End?
According to the story, Alicia seemed to have slain her husband. However, it appears that Theo intended to kill Gabriel by utilizing his wife. Theo had always wanted to collaborate with Alicia. Theo was not only a medical professional but also a forensic psychiatrist. She was the individual who was mesmerized by him, and as a result, she was driven to shoot her spouse, something she had never intended to do.
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