Part I introduces Alicia, a painter. Her husband was found tied up and shot dead. She has not spoken a word since, though she produced one last painting (entitled "Alcestis"). Alicia was found guilty and sent to a mental facility. Six years later, Theo takes her case over from another doctor, Christian. Theo learns about Alicia's prior trauma, stemming from her mother suicide attempt with a young Alicia in the car.
In Part II, Theo tries to treat Alicia by reducing her meds, allowing her to paint and talking to outside sources to learn more. (Theo finds out Alicia had once been assaulted by her brother in law, Max. And Jean owns the gallery Alicia's art was in, but she had been planning on switching galleries.) Alicia and her neighbor had also noticed a man (Alicia had suspected Max or Jean) hanging outside her house in the time prior to Gabriel's death. Theo also learns that "Alcestis" is the story of a Greek goddess who was sent to Hades (death) in the place of her husband. She was later saved, but never spoke again. Meanwhile, Theo discovers his wife Kathy is cheating on him.
In Part III, Theo follows Kathy and sees that her lover is also married.
Theo also learns that Christian (Alicia's doctor before Theo) had actually treated her even before Gabriel's death. Christian didn't tell anyone because it had been an unlicensed practice. This leads Theo to learn more about Alicia's prior trauma (after her mother's suicide, Alicia father wished Alicia had died instead). When Theo brings this up to Alicia, she finally begins to speak. Alicia tells him about the night of Gabriel's death. She says that man showed up, tied them up and shot Gabriel. Before he can follow up, the next day Alicia is found in a coma. Theo sees that she was injected by morphine, tells the others about Christian and Christian is arrested.
In Part IV, Theo goes to the house of Kathy's lover. It's Gabriel, and his wife Alicia is there, too. (This is the big reveal of the book. In other words, all the sections about Kathy, her cheating, and her lover were in the past. Theo is the mysterious man Alicia had seen hanging around the house and who showed up the night of Gabriel's death).
In Part V, we learn the real story from Alicia's diary. Theo went to Gabriel's house to show what a dirtbag Gabriel was. Theo tied Gabriel and Alicia up, exposed him as a cheater, and told Gabriel to choose which one of them he should kill. Gabriel chose Alicia, but instead Theo simply untied Alicia, and left. Then, Alicia shot Gabriel.
From Alicia's diary, we learn that Theo is the one who gave her the morphine. Theo knew from her story that she must have recognized him (she told an inaccurate story to test him). The night of Gabriel's death, Theo hadn't known about her traumatic history of feeling uncared for, and didn't know his stunt would result in her killing Gabriel. Later, Theo had taken for her case to genuinely try to treat her (he felt guilty about his involvement), but when Theo realized she recognized him, he had to kill her. The book ends with the police having found her diary and showing up at Theo's house (to ask him about it and presumably to arrest him).
The book is in second-person with Alicia’s psychotherapist (Theo Faber) as the narrator. It is interspersed with Alicia’s old diary entries.
Part One
Pt I, Chapters 1-2. Alicia is a painter. She murdered her husband Gabriel six years ago on August 25. A neighbor (Barbie Hellman) heard shots. Police arrived to find a gun with her prints and a knife, the dead body of Gabriel tied to a chair with gunshot wounds to the face, and Alicia with her wrists slit.
Alicia has not spoken since. Awaiting trail, she paints a nude self-portrait entitled Alcestis. Alicia was convicted and admitted to the psych unit at the Grove.
Pt I, Chapters 3-10. Theo (narrator) is interested in her case and applies to the Grove when an opening appears. His father was abusive. He tried to kill himself in college, which led to him getting help from a therapist (Ruth). He’s happily married to Kathy, who he has a passionate, wild and loving relationship with.
At the Grove, Theo meets Indira (psychotherapist), Yuri (nurse), Stephanie (manager), Prof. Diomedes (director). Also, Christian is head of Alicia’s care team and Theo’s former co-workers. Diomedes tells Theo the Trust is concerned about the Grove’s finances.
Theo meets Alicia and reads Diomedes’s notes. Alicia has mostly been withdrawn, but once attacked another patient (Elif) with a broken plate.
Part Two
Pt II, Chapter 1. July 16-21 entries. Alicia writes about a painting of Jesus she’s working on, except it looks like Gabriel. She writes about her mother killing herself by driving into a brick wall with Alicia in the car as well.
Pt II, Chapters 2-12. Theo asks Diomedes to talk to Christian about reducing Alicia’s medication. Christian is unhappy but agrees. Theo meets with Alicia after and she attacks him. Theo thinks it means Alicia hasn’t given up, and Diomedes cautiously gives him 6 weeks to get results.
Theo meets with Alicia and gets her to shake her head in response to him asking if a part of her hated Gabriel. Theo asks Elif about the plate incident. She says she provoked Alicia by asking if Gabriel deserved it and about his brains being splattered everywhere.
At home, he gets high and comes across Kathy’s e-mail and finds out she is cheating on him. Theo goes to Ruth. Ruth tells Theo she thinks he’s drawn to Kathy’s unpredictable nature because instability is what he became accustomed to due to his abusive father. Ruth recommends leaving Kathy, but Theo decides Ruth is wrong.
Theo meets with Max (Gabriel’s brother, Alicia’s lawyer). Max was adopted, but not Gabriel. Max admits he hated Alicia. He says she was always crazy (violent, etc) and attempted suicide after her dad died. Theo senses Tanya (Max’s wife) is afraid of Max.
Pt II, Chapter 13. July 22-25 entries. Alicia writes about Max assaulting her and keeping it secret from Gabriel. She says Max resents his brother.
Pt II, Chapter 14-21. Theo finds out Max was Gabriel’s beneficiary in his will. Diomedes tells Theo to stop contacting Alicia’s relatives. Theo goes to find her cousin Paul anyway. Paul knocks him out when he arrives, saying he mistook him for a burglar. Lydia (Paul’s mom) is there too. She is angry about a painting Alicia did of her.
Theo visits Alicia’s gallery. The owner (Jean-Felix Martin) says Gabriel didn’t like him. Theo sees Alicia paintings. One is of her mother’s death. The Gabriel-Jesus one is there too, and in it Gabriel is holding the rifle he would later be shot with. The one of Lydia (looks grotesque) is there too, as is Alcestis.
Theo find a copy of the Alcestis story. In it, her husband is fated to die, Apollo allows someone to take his place. Alcestis agrees and dies. Hercules rescues her but when she comes back she doesn’t speak.
Pt II, Chapter 22. August 2. Paul asks Alicia her for money to pay off gambling debts, and Gabriel objects. Alicia tells Jean she’s planning on switching galleries.
Pt II, Chapter 23-33. Theo arranges for Alicia to be able to paint. He gets the supplies from Jean. Christian tells Theo to be careful not to be seduced by Alicia. Alicia does a painting of the Grove burning, with Theo carrying her.
Theo meets with Barbie (neighbor) who thinks Alicia is innocent and saw a man hanging around the house. Theo returns to the Grove to find that Elif has been stabbed in the eye with a paintbrush. Against Theo’s wishes, Alicia’s therapy is terminated. Theo goes to tell Alicia and she gives him her journal.
Part Three
Pt III, Chapter 1. August 8-25 entries. Alicia tells Gabriel about a man hanging out outside the house. Gabriel is skeptical and wants her to see a shrink, Dr. West, who she also saw after her dad died. Dr. West writes her a prescription, but she doesn’t take it. She keeps seeing the man around. She suspects Jean or Max.
Part Four
Pt IV, Chapters 1-20. Theo reads the diary and returns it to Alicia. He confronts Dr. West — it’s Christian, who has never said anything about being Alicia’s shrink from before. (The diary is how he finds out it’s Christian). Christian says it was unofficial and unreported, he could lose his license, begs Theo not to tell Diomedes. He also says she is crazy and delusional.
Theo catches Kathy cheating on him. Theo follows his wife’s lover and finds out that guy is married.
Theo goes to see Paul. Paul tells him that as a kid, Alicia overheard her dad say he wished Alicia had died in the car wreck instead of her mother, Eve, and it “killed her”. Theo asks Alicia about it and she finally agrees to speak.
Alicia describes how the masked man had a knife, tied her to a chair, and attacked Gabriel when he got home. He tied him up, shot him in the face and left. Theo is skeptical and notes some factual inconsistencies. Diomedes agrees, says Alicia’s mysterious man is mental projection so she can cast herself as a victim and let him be the murderer.
He gets the Grove the next day and finds out Alicia has OD’d and is in a coma. When everyone leaves, Theo realizes from her wrist that she didn’t take pills like they think — she was injected with morphine by someone. Theo tells Diomedes about it and about Christian’s motive to keep her quiet. The police arrive and arrest Christian.
Pt IV, Chapters 21. Theo goes to Kathy’s lover house and meets his wife — it’s Alicia Berenson. Theo brings a knife. (In other words, all the sections about Kathy and her lover were in the past. Gabriel was Kathy’s lover. Theo is the mysterious man Alicia had seen hanging around the house).
Part Five
Pt V, Chapter 1. February 23 entry. Theo has just shoved the needle in her wrist and Alicia knows she will feel drowsy soon.
She had suspected Theo was the mystery man, and her previous story was intentionally inaccurate to test his response. Instead, after Theo tied them both up, he revealed Gabriel as a cheater and offered Gabriel a choice, either he or Alicia would die. Gabriel chooses Alicia. Theo says ok and shoots a shot straight up. Gabriel thinks she’s dead but then realizes she’s ok. Theo unties only Alicia and leaves. Alicia shoots Gabriel.
Pt V, Chapter 2. Theo is still with Kathy, who has never copped to having an affair. He never thought Alicia would shoot Gabriel. He went to the Grove to try to help Alicia, but had to kill her when he realized she was going to out him.
(Why did Theo do this? He had been wearing a mask when he tied them up and didn’t think Alicia would recognize him. He didn’t think Alicia would shoot Gabriel, because he didn’t know her past mental instability. When he planned out the scene revealing Gabriel to be a cheater, He genuinely just wanted to out him. Later, Theo realizes that Alicia is stuck in an asylum and not coping, so he feels bad that he started all this and goes there to help her. However, when he realizes that she has figured out who he is, he has to kill her.)
Jean comes to pick up some of Alicia’s stuff. Theo goes through the rest of Alicia’s things and realizes the journal is missing. Inspector Allen shows up to his house to ask him about it (Jean found it and turned it in). The book ends with Allen reading the relevant diary passage to him.
Recommended Published February 7, 2019
Page Count 336 pages
Goodreads4.18 (out of 5)
From the Publisher
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
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....
I like to read a short summary of books, especially thrillers, before committing time to reading them. This is perfect for me. Thank you. Its a nice story, but it’s not my kind. So I can safely give it a miss.
Recommend for the interesting shifts in the story line that are ultimately tied together and only apparent close to the end. Lots of dysfunctional personalities (almost every character) which serve as a warning to avoid them in real life. Did not see the last reveal coming. Alicia murdered her husband but her therapist is essential to finding out why.
Yes, me too! I think a healthier approach would have been to confront Kathy and Gabriel and also tell Alicia about the affair.. instead he chose to prolong the suffering and I think his decision to help Alicia was actually to help himself (and get caught).
Why did Theo overdosed Alicia?
He didn’t commit any serious crime (at least, as serious as overdosing Alicia). Even if Alicia would have turned to police, I highly doubt if that would’ve harmed Gabriel as much as overdosing Alicia.
Thank you so much for this! I’m a psychology student doing a Ethic’s study about this book. I’ve been studying Theo’s actions and the way he violated de Ethical Code of the Psychologists.
I’ve read this book a long time ago and this is so refreshing, it all comes back to my memories. Really useful!
After Theo drugged Alicia and she wrote in her journal, who put the journal behind the painting?
Alicia hid it in the painting because she knew Theo hated that particular painting and wouldn’t think to look there.
I like to read a short summary of books, especially thrillers, before committing time to reading them. This is perfect for me. Thank you. Its a nice story, but it’s not my kind. So I can safely give it a miss.
Recommend for the interesting shifts in the story line that are ultimately tied together and only apparent close to the end. Lots of dysfunctional personalities (almost every character) which serve as a warning to avoid them in real life. Did not see the last reveal coming. Alicia murdered her husband but her therapist is essential to finding out why.
The end is a bit confusing. Wont the police arrest Theo , if the police had got the diary of Alicia (they would have discovered the truth)
hi yash, yes I think the ending is meant to imply that Theo gets arrested in the end
I really wanted to see the confrontation between Theo and Kathy. I kept waiting but then the book ended.
Yes, me too! I think a healthier approach would have been to confront Kathy and Gabriel and also tell Alicia about the affair.. instead he chose to prolong the suffering and I think his decision to help Alicia was actually to help himself (and get caught).
Why did Theo overdosed Alicia?
He didn’t commit any serious crime (at least, as serious as overdosing Alicia). Even if Alicia would have turned to police, I highly doubt if that would’ve harmed Gabriel as much as overdosing Alicia.
Thank you so much for this! I’m a psychology student doing a Ethic’s study about this book. I’ve been studying Theo’s actions and the way he violated de Ethical Code of the Psychologists.
I’ve read this book a long time ago and this is so refreshing, it all comes back to my memories. Really useful!
Kisses from Brazil.