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Book Club Questions for The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Book Club Questions for The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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Book club questions for The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides will have spoilers so if you haven’t read the novel yet, check out my spoiler-free review first.

Synopsis for The Silent Patient: Alicia Berenson is married to a successful fashion photographer. Everything seems perfect until one evening, when Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations―a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.

Book Club Questions for The Silent Patient

  • At first, why did you think Theo was so determined to work with Alicia? In what ways was Theo an unreliable narrator?
  • What did you think about Alicia’s diary entries? Did you suspect that she was the killer all along or did you think she was framed for a while there?
  • There’s two storylines: Theo’s work with Alicia and the other about Theo’s wife’s affair. Did you suspect that those two storylines would eventually come together or were you surprised when it did? When you read thrillers, do you come up with theories as the story unfolds or do you wait to find out the reveals at the end?
  • When did Alicia recognize that Theo was the man stalking her and from the night her husband was murdered?
  • What did Alicia mean by saying that her father and Gabriel both “killed” her? Why did she become the ‘silent’ patient?
  • What was the purpose of showing us Alicia’s interactions with her brother-in-law Max? Was it to throw off the reader about Theo’s involvement?
  • Let’s discuss the ways that Alicia and Theo are similar.
  • What exactly was Theo’s motivation in going to Alicia and Gabriel’s house? Why did he come back to Alicia to “work” with her?
  • Now let’s talk that ending! Were you surprised? Did you think Theo was going to get away with murdering Alicia?
  • Who would you cast to star in the movie version? What do you hope is included in the film and what do you think they could change or add to the story?

Additional thriller recommendations

If you’re looking for more thrillers, I got you!

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is an thrilling story of cat-and-mouse. The story follows Jessica Farris, a struggling makeup artist in NYC. On a whim, she agrees to be a test subject in a psychological study about ethics and morality. But as the study moves from the exam room to the real world, the line between what is real and what is one of Dr. Shields’s experiments blurs. Dr. Shields perfect image is well-crafted and while at first it seems she has Jessica’s best interests at heart, it starts to become apparent that lines are being crossed. Caught in a web of attraction, deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my discussion questions here.


Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Watching You by Lisa Jewell is a suspenseful page-turner about a shocking murder with plenty of twists and turns. The story is about a group of very different people living in the Melville Heights neighborhood in Bristol, England. It’s an upscale neighborhood so while it’s perhaps not the place where criminal activity is expected, everyone sure has a secret. While there are several characters throughout the novel, there are four main ones: Tom Fitzwilliam, the local school headmaster that everyone seems infuriated with, including his neighbor Joey Mullen who develops an obsessive crush. Then there’s Tom’s teenaged son Freddie who adopts an odd hobby of spying on the entire neighborhood. Lastly, we have Jenna Tripp, who also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems.

Order the book on Amazon here. Check out my discussion questions here.

Happy reading!

Feel free to discuss The Silent Patient below!

Nancy martin

Saturday 31st of December 2022

Loved loved loved the book! I learned a lot about psychology too, love it when that happens. I have a question…. How did

Nancy martin

Saturday 31st of December 2022

@Nancy martin, sorry that sent too early. Lol. How did Alecia untie her hands from the chair in order to untie her feet? Did I miss that?

Nilanga

Saturday 8th of August 2020

Hi thank you so much for the questions. I read this book as soon as it was out and I loved the twist. I have to admit I never saw the twist. I cannot wait to see the movie adaptation.

Heather Caliendo

Saturday 8th of August 2020

Thanks for visiting the site! I felt the same way about the twist - so good! Really excited for the movie adaptation as well!

Danielle

Tuesday 23rd of June 2020

Fantastic read, I really enjoyed it! I loved the twist at the end and never saw it coming.

I will be discussing this with my book club on Satuday

Heather Caliendo

Friday 26th of June 2020

Hi Danielle! Such a good one - I didn't see the twist coming either. Have a wonderful book club meeting!!

Jacqueline Allenbaugh

Sunday 22nd of March 2020

Hi, thanks for the discussion questions, just finished reading it! Sometimes I get too focused on tiny details, thinking they may be a clue to something, but I couldn’t help but notice right off the bat that Alicia’s cousin was named Paul Rose, and her father was Vernon Rose. So, I figured Alicia and Paul must have had fathers who were brothers. But, no, Lydia Rose was actually Paul’s mother. So why would Paul have his mother’s maiden name? Apparently, Paul’s father died, which is why he and Lydia moved in with Vernon’s family, but the father’s last name is never mentioned. It’s of course not unheard of that a person would take their mother’s maiden name, but it’s unusual, and I totally focused on this, thinking it might lead to something. It didn’t. I am overthinking it, lol! Overall really enjoyed this book, and the twist did take me by surprise!

Heather Caliendo

Friday 27th of March 2020

Hi Jacqueline! I definitely focus on the tiny details too. Sometimes it does lead you to the twists and other times, it turns out to be nothing, haha. So glad to hear you enjoyed the book! Thanks for visiting the site!

Jennifer

Wednesday 31st of July 2019

Thanks for the discussion guide! I will be using these at my upcoming book club as we talk about The Silent Patient. It was such a good book!

Heather Caliendo

Wednesday 31st of July 2019

Hi Jennifer! Thank you for visiting and using the discussion guide for your upcoming book club - be sure to let me know how the discussion goes! This one was such a good read!