Very Short Summary
London, 2010s. A forensic psychotherapist took a position at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit, to treat Alicia Berenson, who had been silent since shooting her husband Gabriel in the face six years earlier.
Through persistent therapy sessions and investigation into Alicia's past, Theo discovered that before the murder, she had been paranoid about being watched. He learned about her traumatic childhood, including her mother's death in a car crash and her father's subsequent suicide. He also found her diary, which detailed her final days before the murder.
As Theo made progress with Alicia, she finally began to speak. However, before she could reveal the full truth, she was found unconscious from an apparent overdose. Investigation suggested that someone had deliberately injected her with morphine.
In a shocking twist, it was revealed through Alicia's final diary entry that Theo himself was the masked man who had broken into her house that night. Discovering his wife Kathy's affair with Gabriel, Theo had forced Gabriel to choose between his life and Alicia's. When Gabriel chose to save himself, Theo left, and Alicia, devastated by her husband's betrayal, shot him.
I didn't kill Gabriel. He killed me. All I did was pull the trigger... That's the truth. I didn't kill Gabriel. He killed me. That's why I'm writing this—so he won't get away with it.
Theo had orchestrated everything, including taking the job at the Grove to ensure Alicia's continued silence. When she finally recognized him and began writing the truth, he attempted to murder her with an overdose, framing another doctor for the crime. The story ended with Theo about to face justice as police discovered Alicia's final diary entry.
Detailed Summary by Parts
Part titles and their division into sections are editorial.
Part 1. The Silent Patient and Her New Therapist
Alicia's Crime and Silence
A shocking murder rocked London when a woman shot her husband five times in the face and then never spoke another word. The killer was Alicia Berenson, a talented painter who seemed to have a perfect life with her successful fashion photographer husband Gabriel.
Her silence turned this story from a commonplace domestic tragedy into something far grander: a mystery, an enigma that gripped the headlines and captured the public imagination.
Theo's Background and Motivation
Six years after the murder, a forensic psychotherapist named Theo Faber became obsessed with Alicia's case. Despite having a prestigious position at Broadmoor, he applied for a job at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit where Alicia was being held. Theo believed he could succeed where others had failed and get Alicia to speak again.
As babies, we are innocent sponges, blank slates, with only the most basic needs present: to eat, shit, love, and be loved. But something goes wrong, depending on the circumstances into which we are born.
First Encounters at The Grove
At the Grove, Theo met Professor Diomedes, the clinical director who took a chance on hiring him. He also encountered Christian West, a psychiatrist who seemed hostile to Theo's presence, and Yuri, the head psychiatric nurse who appeared friendly but had hidden motives.
Theo's first session with Alicia was marked by her complete silence. Despite this, he felt determined to reach her, convinced that her silence held deeper meaning. He managed to convince Professor Diomedes to reduce Alicia's medication, believing she was too heavily sedated to engage in meaningful therapy.
Part 2. Investigation and Breakthrough
Gathering Information About Alicia's Past
Theo began investigating Alicia's past by meeting with various people who knew her. He visited her cousin Paul and aunt Lydia in Cambridge, where he learned about Alicia's traumatic childhood. Her mother died in a car crash when Alicia was young, and her father later committed suicide. He also discovered that Alicia had overheard her father saying he wished she had died instead of her mother.
He met with Jean-Felix Martin, Alicia's art gallery manager, who showed him several of her paintings, including the Alcestis - a self-portrait Alicia painted after the murder. Jean-Felix revealed that Alicia had been planning to leave his gallery before the murder occurred.
Theo's Marriage Problems
While investigating Alicia's case, Theo was dealing with his own marital problems. He discovered that his wife Kathy was having an affair. Despite seeking advice from his former therapist Ruth, who urged him to leave Kathy, Theo chose to ignore the infidelity and stay in the marriage.
Love that doesn't include honesty doesn't deserve to be called love... Remember, love that doesn't include honesty doesn't deserve to be called love.
Progress with Alicia
At the Grove, Theo made a breakthrough when he allowed Alicia to paint again. She created a disturbing image of the Grove on fire, with Theo either rescuing or threatening to throw her into the flames. However, this progress was interrupted when Alicia violently attacked another patient, Elif, stabbing her in the eye with a paintbrush. As punishment, Alicia was put in isolation, and her therapy with Theo was officially terminated.
We're all crazy, I believe, just in different ways... You become increasingly comfortable with madness—and not just the madness of others, but your own.
Part 3. Alicia's Diary
Early Diary Entries: Signs of Trouble
Despite being banned from seeing Alicia, Theo continued their sessions secretly. During one of these meetings, Alicia gave him her diary. The entries revealed her complex relationship with Gabriel and the growing tension in their marriage. She wrote about her art, including a painting of Gabriel as Jesus on the cross, and her plans to leave Jean-Felix's gallery.
The Stalker and Growing Fear
The diary described how Alicia became convinced she was being stalked. She saw a man watching her house and following her in the park. When she told Gabriel about her fears, he dismissed them and suggested she see a psychiatrist. She began seeing Dr. West, who prescribed medication that she secretly refused to take. Her neighbor Barbie Hellmann was the only person who seemed to believe her about the stalker.
Her silence was like a mirror—reflecting yourself back at you. And it was often an ugly sight... That's what Alicia did for you. Her silence was like a mirror—reflecting yourself back at you.
Final Days Before the Murder
The diary entries became increasingly disturbing as they approached the night of the murder. Alicia wrote about an uncomfortable dinner with Gabriel's brother Max, who had previously made unwanted advances toward her. She also described a final confrontation with Jean-Felix, who was upset about her decision to leave his gallery.
Part 4. The Truth Revealed
Theo's Past Actions
After reading the diary, Theo discovered that Dr. West was actually Christian, who had treated Alicia privately before the murder but never revealed this connection. When Theo confronted him, Christian admitted to hiding this fact to protect his career. Shortly after this revelation, Alicia was found unconscious from an apparent overdose and fell into a coma.
However, Theo noticed a needle mark on Alicia's arm, suggesting she had been injected rather than taking pills voluntarily. While Christian was initially suspected of attempting to silence Alicia, the truth was far more shocking. Through Theo's narration, it was revealed that he himself was the stalker from Alicia's diary.
The Night of the Murder
Theo had stalked Alicia because he discovered that Gabriel was having an affair with Theo's wife, Kathy. Seeking revenge, Theo broke into Alicia and Gabriel's house, tied them both to chairs, and forced Gabriel to choose between his life and Alicia's. When Gabriel chose to save himself, condemning Alicia to death, Theo revealed his plan wasn't to kill either of them, but to show Alicia the truth about her husband.
After Theo left, Alicia, devastated by Gabriel's betrayal, shot him five times in the face. Her subsequent silence was a response to this trauma - like Alcestis in the Greek tragedy, she returned from a metaphorical death but refused to speak. Theo had orchestrated the entire situation to destroy their marriage, never expecting Alicia would actually kill Gabriel.
Part 5. Final Revelations
Alicia's Last Diary Entry
Years later, Theo took the job at the Grove to help Alicia process the trauma he had caused, believing this would absolve him of guilt. When Alicia finally recognized him and wrote about it in her diary, Theo realized he had to silence her permanently. He injected her with morphine, causing her to fall into a coma, and successfully framed Christian for the attempt on her life.
Justice and Consequences
The story concluded with Theo still married to Kathy, though their relationship had grown cold and distant. He was promoted to run a new psychiatric facility after the Grove's closure. Meanwhile, he continued to visit the comatose Alicia, holding her hand and maintaining his facade of caring therapist while hiding his true role in destroying her life. The diary that could expose him was discovered by the police, hidden in the frame of Alicia's last painting.
As Chief Inspector Allen read the diary's final entries to Theo, justice finally seemed within reach. The novel ended with Theo watching the snow fall outside his window, suggesting a symbolic cleansing or revelation of truth, as his carefully constructed world began to crumble around him.