Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter herself, her husband a sought-after fashion photographer, they live in a large house overlooking a park, in one of the most beautiful areas of London. When her husband returns late one evening from a photo shoot, Alicia shoots him five times in the head and sinks into silence. Her refusal to speak and give any explanation will turn a family tragedy into something much greater, a mystery that monopolizes the public's imagination and makes Alicia infamous. The price of her paintings soars and she, the "silent patient", is transferred away from the spotlight to the Grove, a high-security psychiatric unit in north London. Theo Faber is a forensic psychotherapist who has long waited for the opportunity to work with Alicia. He is convinced that he will succeed where others have failed. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of her husband's murder leads him down a difficult path that leads to the deepest causes of her silence... And if she does talk to him, will he want to hear the truth? I love him so completely and utterly, that sometimes this love threatens to overwhelm me. I often think... No. I will not write about it. From Alicia's diary

Foreign Language Title: The silent patient

Country of origin:United Kingdom

Biography

Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He holds an MA in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an MA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient, his first novel, reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide. The rights have been sold to 52 countries and the book is being made into a film by the production company Plan B. The Daughters, his second novel, was on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists and will be adapted for the small screen by Miramax Television and Stone Village.