Alicia Berenson was a successful painter, married to a celebrated fashion photographer. Then one day, when her husband returns late from a photoshoot, Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. She paints one last cryptic painting, with the word “Alcestis” on it.
Theo is a criminal psychologist, himself a survivor of abuse as a child. He worms his way to a job at the facility where Alicia is being treated, and starts working on getting her to talk. But she attacks him brutally on his first interaction. He perseveres though, and seems to make some progress, but has to contend with other staff members and their misgivings.
Meanwhile, Theo has marital problems of his own; his actress wife has been cheating on him. But rather than confront her, he starts smoking pot, and stalking her lover, and her lover’s wife… especially the wife.
Tying all of these together is the Greek tragedy “Alcestis” by Euripedes, and a diary that Alicia maintains. Strictly speaking, since Alicia does write the big reveal in her diary, she is not exactly the titular “silent”. Also, it is not described how Alicia manages to retain her diary throughout her incarceration.
Anyway, a lot of twists and turns, and none of the characters are entirely what they seem. The story is full of thrills and artistic metaphor, all framed with elements of a Greek tragedy. The writing is fast paced and enjoyable. A good book to read once.