Suspenseful thriller? Check. Complex characters? Check. Surprise ending? Check. Five stars? Check, check, check! I loved everything about this book: the troubled main characters, the twisting plotline, even the references to obscure Greek literature. From the very first page, I was impressed with Alex Michaelides’ writing style- descriptive, engaging, and almost seductive. I listened to it on Audible and it was very hard to turn off. I found myself sitting in the car in the garage just so I could hear one more chapter. Every once in a while I thought I knew what was going to happen, and each time I was wrong– it kept me guessing until the very end.
The story is told by both the narrator, Theo, a psychotherapist, and Alicia, an artist, and his patient. The plot unfolds as Theo works to discover the reason for Alicia’s unexplained silence: she became mute after being found covered in blood next to her husband’s dead body. She is placed in The Grove, a sanitarium, where she is treated for her supposed psychosis. A lot of the character development stems from the psychoanalysis that occurs throughout the book. The chapters that focus on the psychiatric hospital are filled with unbelievable episodes and creative characters. Even more compelling, is the way Michaelides weaves in both the art world and Greek literature with his references to Alicia’s paintings and Alcestis by Euripides. All of these elements together create one fantastic story. Surprisingly, this is the debut novel from Alex Michaelides–can’t wait for the next one. I loved this book and cannot stay silent about that!
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