Book Club for Introverts discussion

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The Silent Patient 20-24

I’m a horrible interpreter of art. I remember Alicia said she associated yellow with death so her mother’s portrait, I get. We know she hated the gun and was struggling with Gabriel on the cross and with him having the gun but i don’t get the Jesus painting. The Lydia one seems obvious. She’s a fat lazy woman overrunning everything in her path and so can definitely see why she didn’t appreciate the painting. The Alcestis is confusing. I read the story and still
don’t fully get it although I like the thoughts Alexis shared about her current state being commiserate with the underworld. Perhaps Theo is her Hercules and will save her. The maggots in the painting must be a reference to the bird she found. There’s death beneath the beautiful surface—again maybe she views her current state as death. I knew Alicia couldn’t have loved her father!! Why did his death affect her so, though?

Well, apparently I was wrong about Jean-Felix. If Alicia’s account is to be believed. She has the same thought that Theo did. Jean-Felix was in love with her art, not with her. Why is she afraid of him? He’s taking her to see the play Alcestis. Hmmm... so many suspects. No one likes Gabriel and everyone has reason to be angry with Alicia. Paul needs money and Jean-Felix doesn’t want to lose her art.

So, Alcestis is so angry she can’t speak—makes sense but still gets us no closer to Alicia’s silence. We know she’s angry. At whom? Why?

I like the paint idea but it means I’m going to have to interpret a painting again...ugh! I think it’s funny that Rowena is a critic. She’s an art therapy person in a psych ward and she is criticizing a true artist’s work!

I'm starting to see where Alicia is coming from with her parents. I believe her father's death affected her so significantly because once he was gone, there was no hope of him changing or salvaging any sort of relationship with him.

The descriptions of her art are fascinating. The author does a great job of painting the picture for the reader.

I've never seen a cast of characters that were allllllll so unreliable. (Well, actually I probably have, but it really does seem that none of these characters are to be trusted.)

Again, I really do admire this author's ability to recreate and depict the characters, paintings, etc. in this book. The painting with the maggots....oh my, I could really just envision exactly what it looked like. Everything I read in this novel just jumps off the pages and is easy to see in my mind's eye. I love that.

As far as Alcestis..... Alcestis returned from death, alive again, but was unable or unwilling to speak of her experience. I get the feeling that Alicia is silent, not because she is angry with Gabriel, but because she is angry at whoever killed Gabriel, and is still so distraught by his death. In one of Theo's meetings with her, he implied that Alicia felt some sense of hatred towards Gabriel, and that got a response out of her -- she shook her head no, and then shortly after jumped up and left the room. I think she was frustrated that he was missing the mark on her feelings.

There are so many possibilities here, as far as who was responsible for Gabriel's death. I feel certain it was not Alicia, though.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. He did such a good job with the descriptions and still held my attention despite nearly everyone being unreliable and even unlikeable.

I too am looking for more from this author. Most of the characters were so wounded, except for his therapist Ruth. Usually there is more than one character you can like or relate to; kind of gives the book a bummer vibe.

Maybe it’s too obvious, but I’m wondering if Jean-Felix could be the killer. Alicia is afraid of him. He didn’t like Gabriel. He took her to the play, although it was more manipulation than anything, which suggests an ulterior motive. I think what really happened will be revealed through her art.