Character List

In “The Silent Patient,” Alex Michaelides expertly merges the interactions between primary and secondary characters, unveiling a web of secrets and mysteries. As Theo digs into Alicia’s past, he encounters relatives like her distant cousin, her murdered husband, and her abusive aunt, who provide insights and emotional depth to the plot.

Each character introduces a new element of fascination to the unfolding story, amplifying the atmosphere of suspense and intrigue. Their actions offer subtle hints, prompting readers to reevaluate assumptions and scrutinize their underlying motives.

Alicia Berenson

Alicia is one of the protagonists in the novel. Born to Vernon and Eva Rose, she matures in London and lives with her aunt for a while before moving out.

Alicia’s mother dies, and unable to handle his wife’s death, her father commits suicide. A few months after this, Alicia attempts suicide by overdose but fails.

At an art school, she meets Jean-Felix, and he becomes her gallerist. She marries Gabriel Berenson and begins to write in a diary upon his recommendation. Although a skilled painter, Alicia struggles with depression and insecurity. When she starts writing, she resolves to input only happy and positive thoughts, yet she hints at mental instability.

At 33, Alicia gets accused of killing her husband. She is quiet but paints an autobiographical depiction named Alcestis to explain what happened. During her trial, she remains silent and gets constrained to a psychiatric hospital. While at the hospital, she violently attacks another inmate, Elif, who taunts her about her husband.

Soon, Theo becomes her therapist and ensures the dosage reduction of medication administered to her, making her more alert. Still, she remains silent throughout her therapy sessions. Her silence portrays betrayal from her father and then her husband.

Although Alicia does not speak, she remains an intelligent and observant character. Given a private painting room, she feels comfortable painting. When Elif destroys her work, she stabs her in the eye with a paintbrush and gets sent to solitary confinement.

Slowly, Alicia transforms in the novel, exposing the reason for her silence and why she murdered her husband.

Theo Faber

He is the second protagonist of “The Silent Patient.” Affected by his abusive childhood, he studies psychology at the University. He attempts suicide in the first semester and begins therapy with Ruth. He also develops a habit of smoking marijuana to deal with his troubled emotions.

When he meets Kathryn, he falls in love, and they get married. He is heartbroken when he discovers she is cheating. He returns to his psychotherapist, Ruth, who advises him to leave Kathryn, but he does not, worsening his mental health.

Fascinated by Alicia’s art and murder case, he takes up an available position at the psych ward where she resides. Confident he can make Alicia talk again, he probes her childhood and the events leading to her murder. He starts by asking that she get a lower medication dosage so she can be attentive. He contacts Alicia’s relatives to unravel her childhood. He also speaks to her former friend to check out her art exhibitions before she was confined.

Overstepping the bounds of both professional and personal domains, Theo’s empathy for Alicia transforms into obsession. Eventually, he is able to get to Alicia when he provides her with a private space and painting materials, and she gives him her diary. He learns more about her. Upon confrontation, Alicia confesses what happened on the night of her husband’s murder, but Theo does not believe her.

The story ends with the revelation that Theo had played a key role in making Alicia kill her husband. To conceal the truth, he injects her with a massive dose of morphine.

Gabriel Berenson

Gabriel is Alicia’s husband and Kathryn’s secret lover. He is a professional fashion photographer who shoots for famous magazines like Vogue. When Alicia asks that he models for a painting of Jesus Christ, he refuses but eventually agrees to it. Although he mentally stresses Alicia in some ways, he takes care of her. He takes her to a psychiatrist when she confesses to being stalked because he believes she is again imagining things.

On August 25th, he returns from a photoshoot and gets confronted by Theo for cheating with his wife. Presented a choice between Alicia and himself, he says he does not want to die, dooming his wife to death. Theo does not kill Alicia but leaves the gun beside her after telling her to be quiet. In the end, Gabriel is shot five times by his wife.

Kathryn Faber

Initially dating Daniel, she breaks up with him to date Theo. Together with him, Kathryn set off for Surrey to meet his parents. Although the meeting does not go well, they get married. Shortly after, Kathryn betrays Theo by cheating, and he finds out. Being an actor, she is good at pretending. She is disappointed when she discovers Theo smokes marijuana. When her secret lover dies, she goes from being talkative to quiet and depressed.

Max Berenson

Max is married to Tanya. He is also Gabriel’s adopted brother. Although Max declares himself morally upright, he forcefully kisses Alicia when he visits Gabriel. He also lies to Theo during an interview that he hates Alicia because she made Gabriel’s life miserable. When Theo calls to confront him about his romantic feelings for Alicia, Max hangs up. When he learns Alicia took an overdose at the hospital, he is hysterical and yells at an unbothered Theo.

Lazarus Diomedes

He is another secondary character in “The Silent Patient.” Diomedes convinces the judge that Alicia’s silence during her trial is a poignant symbol of her profound psychological distress. This results in Alicia’s confinement to the psychiatric hospital, the Grove.

Drawn to music, his office contains musical instruments he believes are therapeutic. One of Diomedes’ concerns is the Grove getting shut down because it is not commercially viable.

When Theo suggests individual therapy with Alicia, he discourages it. When Theo insists, however, he gives his permission. Diomedes usually disagrees with the Grove’s manager, Stephanie. He is a wise man who advises, reprimands, and encourages Theo and serves as a pacifist between therapists and patients in the ward.

Throughout the book, Theo runs his new therapeutic methods through Lazarus. He either instantly accepts or has second thoughts about them. He also stops Theo in between therapy sessions when he feels the patient or even Theo is in danger.

When Theo eventually gets Alicia to talk, Lazarus compliments him and allows the psychotherapy to continue.

Christian West

He is one of the therapists at the Grove. Also, he worked with Theo in his previous job. As Gabriel’s old friend, he had treated Alicia twice

At the Grove, he constantly opposes Theo. After Theo gets attacked by Alicia, he pronounces in a meeting that Theo would fail to get Alicia to speak.

In the concluding pages, Christian almost gets framed for attempted murder.

Paul Rose

Paul is Alicia’s cousin who grew up with her. He witnesses firsthand how her father’s abuse emotionally damaged her. Before Gabriel dies, he confesses to Alicia about his gambling struggle that has led him to debt.

Heavily manipulated by his toxic mother, he remains confined at home without friends. Although Theo is initially frightened by his physique, he quickly learns that Paul is unhappy and harmless.

Jean-Felix Martin

Jean-Felix is Alicia’s gallerist whom she tries to sever connections with. He refuses to see reason and blames her decision on Gabriel. When Alicia gets confined in the Grove, he helps Theo get her to communicate through his suggestion of painting. Throughout the story, Theo doubts Jean-Felix and his intentions.

Elif

Elif is a secondary character in the book who suffocates her mother and sister and gets confined to the Grove. She is an unpredictable woman with a domineering physique. She gets violently attacked by Alicia more than once. The last time, she gets stabbed in the eye with a paintbrush after she disfigures Alicia’s painting. The character of Elif portrays the effects of childhood trauma on adult behavior.