Alex Michaeledis debuted his first novel in 2019 with a psychological thriller encompassing the case of Alicia Berenson - a patient admitted at a mental institution named 'The Grove.' She's infamous for her sordid refusal to speak after police found her standing in front of the fireplace in their pitchblack home with a gun on the floor and her loving and highly esteemed photographer husband, Gabriel Berenson, tied to a chair with a broken skull, lifeless.

Perhaps it was trauma, perhaps it was her way of coping, perhaps it was guilt but her silence has reached a seven year sentence. Wasn't she silent for too long? This peaked psychotherapist Theo Faber's interest, claiming a vigorous desire within him to fix her, make her speak, take away her silence. There on, Theo decides to work at The Grove to treat Alicia.

Communication does not rely on speech. Alicia is a talented painter who focuses on hyperrealistic paintings. A few days following the death of her husband, she had completed a self-portrait eagerly with no breaks. 'Alcestis' it was named - known as Euripides' tragedy following the sacrifice of the Greek princess Alcestis, for her husband, Admetus.

Alicia had painted herself as Alcestis - the woman who sacrificed herself in exchange for her husband's life only to be brought back to life and never utter a word ever again.

Unlike Alcestis, Alicia spoke not only through art, but also in her diary. Everything that happened during the days before and after the murder, and even the significant events that happened in The Grove were all written with intricate detail. Will the diary prove her innocence? Will it prove her guilty? Or will it prove something else?

I assure you that I haven't given away the entire plot of the story. This is a mere summary, the book LITERALLY welcomes you with Alcestis' name and the prologue is Alicia's first diary entry.

REVIEW:

Due to this book being hyped and recommended on booktok (accounts with their platforms solely intended for books on TikTok), bookstagram (bookish accounts on Instagram), and booktube (reader influencers and communities in YouTube), I must say, the clout really convinced me to buy this and now I'm here trying my utmost best to convince you to help me get my money back. (Kidding)

I found the summary interesting and the reviews made me more intrigued by the minute but due to it's well received and biased criticism, I've built up my expectations too high and in the end I was disappointed. It is a page turner, I'll give you that but personally, I didn't find it mind boggling.

It didn't provoke any suspense nor did it trigger any thrill in me. I guess it's the narration and writing style that just didn't appeal to me, and I'm not saying this to promote this book negatively, I'm just being honest with my review, MY experiences with reading it. Just because it doesn't appeal to me, doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. Every book affects every reader differently.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5 Stars)

I would say this book is quite disturbing though, ESPECIALLY the plot twist. I was repulsed by it honestly, I was grimacing the whole time. If you're looking for fast paced psychological thrillers with characters that are insanely good at manipulation, characters that will make you question who's the antagonist and who's the protagonist, chapters that will make you feel like you're in a lucid dream, and plots with open endings, you should try this one out.

RECOMMENDATION:

A crime thriller that I read three or four years ago that struck me with such grotesque description and macabre narration, great storytelling and a mind blowing plot that until today, leaves such a foul taste in my mouth, is Simon Beckett's 'Whispers of the Dead.' It is utterly gripping, it horrified me to be honest and until now I'm upset because I still can't seem to find any other books by Simon Beckett in nearby book stores and even online. I remember feeling nothing but cold as the plot twist went on and just being scared and excited to read the next words and flip the next pages.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 Stars) This was how I would have rated it if I started rating and reviewing my books before.

Have you read any of these books? Or any crime and psychological thrillers? Let's interact!