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Alicia Berenson is a successful and talented painter; her husband, Gabriel, is a successful fashion photographer. They have what seems to be an enviable life; they are deeply in love and live in a beautiful London home.
But then late one night, a neighbor hears shots fired, and when the police arrive at the home, they find Gabriel strapped to a chair, dead from five shots to the face. And Alicia is standing nearby with a gun, dripping blood from cut wrists. After that, she never speaks another word.
Six years later, Alicia is in a psychiatric facility called the Grove, and Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, has the opportunity to apply for a job opening there, although it’s facing a possible closure. Long fascinated with the case, perhaps even a bit obsessed, Theo is eager to see if he can make a difference for Alicia. She hasn’t spoken since the murder and the trial that got her locked away in the facility. She’s made no progress, it seems, and others working at the Grove have given up on trying to help her or find out the reason for the murder. Theo persuades his superiors to give him the chance to work with her, though they’re either doubtful he can do anything or sure he’s stepping into danger.
Theo’s story plays out alongside Alicia’s in the book; he narrates and explains he chose psychotherapy as a profession because of his difficult background and one therapist who helped him. He is married to Kathy, the bright light in his life who gave him hope he could be happy after a miserable upbringing. Theo tries all kinds of avenues to discover what happened to Alicia, including talking with her family members.
As in any kind of thriller like this, nothing is quite as it seems, and there are many potential dangers and characters with unseen motivations. And when the truth comes out at the end, it will be shocking.
I was definitely caught up in this popular novel, eager to find out what came next as Theo investigated Alicia’s background and talked about his own. Alex Michaelides’ debut novel deserves the attention it’s gotten because it hooked me; I read it in one day. It’s just as satisfying a thriller as I expected.
Rated: High.There are roughly three dozen instances of strong language and more uses of moderate language. Sexual content is mostly references to characters having sex, but not with much detail. Violence occurs a few times, and the most detailed is in regard to the murder at the heart of the story; man was shot in the face five times and there is blood and gore.
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