The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient is a psychological thriller and deals heavily with psychiatrist issues. The novel argues that a person’s childhood shapes them as an adult and frequently presents academically driven arguments towards this end. Take, for instance, Theo’s explanation of containment (92). Choose one character from the novel and analyze their character in light of a trauma.

 Alicia is the most obvious example of a character struggling with mental health issues. Opposite Alicia, Christian and Theo represent different approaches to mental health treatment. While Christian medicates Alicia into a stupor, Theo insists on digging for a root childhood trauma. In the novel, both approaches result in tragedy. What commentary might the novel be making about mental health treatment in the larger picture beyond the narrative at hand?

The Silent Patient relies on the epistolary technique to give Alicia a “voice” well before she begins speaking, through the inclusion of her diary entries. The diary entries reveal not only details of Alicia’s personality but also details of the weeks before Gabriel’s murder (such as Alicia’s altercation with Max). The reader is privy to this information before Theo is. It’s not until the end of Part 2 that Alicia gives Theo the diary.