The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides, takes place six years after the death of Gabriel
Berenson. His wife, Alicia was convicted of the crime and institutionalized. Since her husband’s
death, Alicia has been entirely silent, and only through her diary do we get to see her side of
events. Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, has become obsessed with her case and goes to the
Grove, the institution where Alicia lives, to try to get her to talk and reveal her secrets. This
Brain on Fire is a true story of first-hand experience of the author. The book walks us through the author's life and this condition that she developed in which her brain in a sense was on fire. The author uses very detailed descriptions to show us what her life was like while suffering through this extremely difficult time in her life. The book gives us the message that even when you are physically and mentally at your worst, never give up.
The Vegetarian is a novel detailing one woman, Yeong-hye, and her choice to become a vegetarian after a horrible dream. This choice is regarded as the beginning of her descent to madness and gives birth to trouble in the family. The book demonstrates the desire that many have to control women’s decisions, lives, and bodies and the tendency for them to be cast aside when not conforming.
Bad Things Happen Here is an intriguing and amazingly written YA murder mystery. It is set on an island of extremely wealthy people where horrible and unexplainable disappearances happen but the consciousness of the society sweeps it all under the rug. It is a twisted tale in both the story itself and the characters, the lead protagonist is flawed, mentally ill and haunted by loss, but yet unlike other books, this does not undermine her character, but instead strengthens Luca.
The Edge of Anything is a story of girls that the outside viewer would see as polar opposites. Sage is the star volleyball player of her high school’s varsity team, and is hoping to be chosen by a college scout to get a full ride to play in college. Len is a quiet photographer, often made fun of by the athletic kids for her quirks and odd behaviors that no one understands. What no one knows is that they both have struggles going on in their lives that are hidden from public view, and even from their families.
Cara Jean has always dealt with her bad health. Doctors can’t figure out what happening to her because Cara and her mom are always on the move. But when Cara’s mother sets up a fundraiser to raise money for her illness, she begins to question the people around her. Is Cara’s illness something she was born with? Or is someone intentionally making her sick?
