Psychological thrillers are some of my favorite reads. The more books I read like this, the more I think I know what's really going on. I am pleasantly surprised whenever the story reveals something I wasn't expecting. I guess that's what makes them "thrillers". Ha!
The main characters in this story are Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, and his patient, Alicia Berenson, an accomplished artist who was married to an accomplished photographer (Gabriel), before he was brutally murdered. As the story unfolds, the reader gets a glimpse into the childhoods of each of the main characters. There is significant abuse, accidental deaths, suicides, mental illnesses. Theo comments that the reason why he decided to become a psychotherapist is so that he can begin to understand his own issues.
Theo is intrigued by Alicia's loss of speech since her husband's murder. She is charged with his murder, but declared incompetent to stand trial and ends up in a locked psych ward. Theo finds a way to get a job at the facility where Alicia is living, and finagles his way into becoming her therapist.
Alicia doesn't speak a word, but we get to hear her voice - and about her life leading up to the murder - through her journal entries. Through her journal entries, we get some insight into other significant people in her life, that appear to have a negative impact on her life: Jean-Felix, who owns the gallery that shows Alicia's paintings; Paul, her cousin who comes to Alicia for money when he can't pay his substantial gambling debts; and Max, Gabriel's less than attractive brother who has strong feelings for Alicia himself. Before the murder, Alicia is absolutely convinced that she is being followed by a man - who also watches her house. No one believes this though, except Alicia.
So, there are twists and turns in the story as it moves toward the final revelation, which I am not going to reveal here. I will say that it's well worth the read!
Wendy's Rating: *****
No comments:
Post a Comment