THE SILENT PATIENT

Strong performances by two British narrators lift this psychological thriller. Louise Brealey is outstanding as Alicia Berenson, celebrity artist, husband-killer, and silent patient in a mental facility. Jack Hawkins is just as good as Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist with his own emotional baggage. Each narrator also handles lesser roles. The story’s plot belongs to the “what-happened-before-the-crime” variety. Brealey captures Alicia’s joyful early love for her husband, but soon listeners hear in her voice the unhappy changes in the marriage, and in Alicia herself. Hawkins, as the obsessed Faber, is much more forceful as the character negotiates his own relationships, hospital politics, and Alicia’s defenses. Both narrators capture these traits nicely. G.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2018]