Scan barcode
frances_frances's reviews
288 reviews
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
1.0
Overall, this book was unsatisfying and doesn't live up to the hype. For a thriller, there was a disappointing lack of tension or suspense. Each "reveal" fell short. Rather than shocking or clever, the twist at the end felt slapdash and flimsy.
The characters were underdeveloped, making it difficult to care about any of them. There was also lots of loose ends and seemingly random side characters who did little to move the story forward or enhance the book's themes (Max, Stephanie, Elif, Lydia, etc).
Furthermore, the fatphobia in this book was annoying and disappointing. Elif and Lydia, two characters readers are supposed to immediately dislike, were described as grotesque, physically repugnant beasts. As a writing choice, it's both lazy and extremely harmful to use fatness as a marker for deviance and mental instability. I'm so tired of this trope and was disappointed to see it used yet again.
The characters were underdeveloped, making it difficult to care about any of them. There was also lots of loose ends and seemingly random side characters who did little to move the story forward or enhance the book's themes (Max, Stephanie, Elif, Lydia, etc).
Furthermore, the fatphobia in this book was annoying and disappointing. Elif and Lydia, two characters readers are supposed to immediately dislike, were described as grotesque, physically repugnant beasts. As a writing choice, it's both lazy and extremely harmful to use fatness as a marker for deviance and mental instability. I'm so tired of this trope and was disappointed to see it used yet again.