The Patient

3.5Didn't scare me but the twist was sad and a bit shocking.I wouldn't call it ‘for fans of [b:The Silent Patient 40097951 The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582759969l/40097951.SX50.jpg 59752778] it was much better than that!

Read for Summerween 2021 - Read a horror book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD0XJfa0dAU

I really did enjoy the writing and this book and just the whole atmosphere/vibe. While I think the end was quite interesting, the direction it went in is not my favorite because it's personally not the type of horror that scares me. SpoilerI'm just not a huge fan of paranormal horror and thrillers especially when I don't know that it's going to be paranormal going in, which I didn't in this case. I definitely don't need to be scared by horror to appreciate it, but everybody I know said they were terrified by this book, so it was just shocking it didn't do that for me. I would definitely recommend this and I think it's amazing short, horror but again it just wasn't my favorite type.

After forgetting my current read “The Night She Disappeared” at my mom's I was looking through my Scribd app on my E-Reader to find a short novella I had been wanting to read, until I can go get my book from my mom's. Well, this one definitely fit the short novella requirement, being only one hundred-something pages. It was also my first novella ever, most books I read are in the three-hundred range and up. Even though it was okay, ultimately this book was just not for me. It was not a genre I really enjoy but I am glad that I found out for myself and gave it a shot.

To begin with, The Patient is about a psychiatrist, who sets out to cure a very problematic patient, who has been in an insane asylum since he was six. However, he soon realizes that he is in way over his head and that there might be a reason why he incurable. I thought the premise was interesting enough and I really enjoy patient/psychiatrist type stories, so in the beginning I was loving every second of it. I just had to keep reading to see what was wrong with this patient. The pacing was done really well and I really liked that it was written through a blog type thing, a long time after the events actually happened. However, I was hoping it would be more psychological thriller and less horror but that's not what it ultimately was. I don't enjoy horror in general in movies or books because I like there to be a more psychological explanation for things, rather than just gory monster-type things that don't offer much in the way of explanation. This was probably my first true horror novel and I am happy to have ventured into that genre, however, it was just not my cup of tea and I will gladly stick to my psychological thrillers, mysteries and detective type stories from now on.

Further on, the characterization was okay but with it being a novella, I didn't get as in-depth of a look into the characters' psyches as I would have liked. It was nice to get through a book so quickly but it felt rushed and left me wanting more. I thought that we just skimmed the surface of Joe and even Parker, the psychiatrist and there could have been more to find out about them. Overall, this was just okay for me.

Finally, the writing style was precise and to the point and helped me to get through this book in a matter of days. With the story being written a long time after the events already happened, that made it a little less “in-the-moment” for me and took away from the excitement but ultimately I don't have a lot of bad things to say about the writing style. It got the story across and got the job done.

In conclusion, I would recommend this to horror lovers only. I am a psychological thriller lover and this book didn't have enough psychological aspects for me. From now on, I will be sticking to my usual genre but I am very proud of myself for trying something new that I have never tried before.

This story is told through multiple posts that were shared on a medical forum (kind of like a Reddit) about the case that almost made Parker give up being a psychiatrist. So it starts off with freshly out of medical school and starting his first job at a run down hospital. He quickly learns that there is a patient that the hospital staff keep behind locked doors and almost no one is allowed to talk to him. Only the most veteran staff is allowed to go in to change his sheets, give him food and medicine. They aren't even allowed to use his full name, and only refer to him as “Joe” to prevent newer professionals from researching about him. The only thing our main character knows is that this patient has been there since he was 6 years old and has stayed there for over three decades, he is considered by all incurable but is so dangerous that no doctor can in good conscience let him out. But is he really as evil as they say or is there more to the story? Well that is what Parker tries to find out...

Overall I thought this book was okay. I thought the writing style was great, although very formal for the style of book it was supposed to be. I can't imagine anyone writing on a forum that way even if it is amongst medical students/professionals.

I loved the discussion on mental health practices especially the dark side of it all. I know there are a lot of professionals who go above and beyond but there are many that are like Dr. P who just want to medicate all the patients and call it a day. And the whole hospital being under funded and the effects it has no only on the patients but also the professionals and quality of care, since this a reality for many facilities.

There were two ways this book could have gone and it went in a way I wasn't really fond of. It's hard to talk about without spoiling but it just wasn't a scary read. It felt more mystery/thriller than horror. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to start dipping their toes in horror but is hesitant because they scare easy. Maybe at most the ending could leave you with existential dread but to me it didn't really do much, it was kind of cheesy at times. However, I don't think it was badly done it just wasn't for me.

In the next few paragraphs I'm goin to spoil this book, especially the ending SPOILERS AHEAD.





When Joe first went to the hospital it was due to night terrors. He said he would see this monster at night and when he screamed for his parents this monster would disappear into his walls. The doctor told him it was in his imagination and he could control it because it's a part of him. That night he confronts the monster and after that it is noted by doctores that he started having behavioral issues. Parker goes to his family house to investigate further because the doctors think his dad is the monster and Joe was sexually abused as a child (why no one before him did this is beyond me).

There is also a theory that the hospital is making everything up because his parents are rich and funds a lot for the hospital. This is due to the fact that Parker who finally got to talk to Joe sees him as a regular functional man with no violent tendencies.

Anyways, he does to the family home and turns out the dad passed and both parents are actually very loving and really wanted Joe to get better. Parker tears down the wall and find skeletons of a child. Joe is actually dead... hospital Joe is an actual monster. Parker goes to confront him, tells him “he knows he is not human” and watches him transform. Parker is voice recording this interaction and the monster says all these awful things to him etc. when “Joe” goes back to normal he has a worried face and tell him to check the tape. Parker leaves and does, turns out that the things the monster said weren't recorded, you could just hear “Joe” pleading. Next day the hospital had a pipe burst, energy got cut off and “joe” escaped.

The monster shifts into what people say he is. When is called a bad boy, he becomes one, when little Joe said he was a part of him, he becomes him, when people treated him like a human he was stuck, when Parker said “he knew he wasn't human” he was freed. It also feeds off people's biggest fears.

Parker has a girlfriend and shortly after the escape she gets attacked. When he goes check on her at the hospital he notes her “crooked smile” he also described Joe to have a cooked smile...it's heavily implied that the monster became the gf but Parker never realizes even after she changes. In the end Parker has his own private practice and works with kids. The monster implies there are more like him so Parker always wonders if he is dealing with real life kids or one of those things.

I think if it went the route that humans were the bad guys, that the doctors indeed were making it up to help get funds would have been more haunting for me. If Parker who figured it out changed his tune because of the manipulations of the other doctors and somehow harmed Joe in the process thinking he was a monster (he did take an axe with him to confront him, so he could kill the monster he didn't even up doing but imagine he did) and only after he realizes maybe he was right after all. Maybe Joe really only had night terrors that went aways eventually but the hospital didn't want to stop receiving his parents money. It would have been a lot more bleak that's for sure. And would have made the “check the tapes” conversation make a bit more sense. And then Parker had to live his whole life knowing he could not save his patient because he did the one thing he never thought he'd do and that fulfilled his biggest fear all on his own. That would have sent shivers down my spine.

 There are some things that I really enjoyed in the story, and some that fell flat for me.    Advantages: the first thing I want to point out is the format it's written it. We follow the story through the blog posts, published by the main character years after his encounter with a strange and disturbing Patient. I listened to the audiobook for this and would highly recommend everyone to do the same. This way, the story feels like an episode of a horror podcast (I, personally, kept thinking about how well it would fit into a project like “The Magnus Archives” throughout the whole read).    The plot itself is definitely griping. The book gives the reader an opportunity to make theories about what's actually happening and what's wrong with Joe as a human being. To be honest, I wasn't able to guess the right answer and was slightly surprised by what transpired in the end (that being said, the plot twist doesn't feel out of place; it makes perfect sense and I think it's my fault for overlooking such a simple explanation).    The end is another thing that I'd like to praise the book for. It makes sure that after closing it, the reader won't immediately erase the book from their memory. It gives food for thought, even if for a short period of time.    I also appreciated the attempt to tackle such themes as the abysmal treatment of mentally disordered people in the majority of psychic wards, the tendency to brush off the fears and worries of children by their parents (and sometimes even medical professionals), explaining them as their “active imagination” when in reality these worries may stem from very real, harmful things.        Disadvantages: I'm the type of reader who can fully enjoy the story only if it has both a good plot and memorable characters I can fall in love with. “The Patient”, for me, was severely lacking in this last aspect. The main character wasn't written poorly, but he's just a generic smart protagonist with a big heart. The only character I was even remotely interested in was Rose (Doctor G.), but her appearances were far and between, and she's not the best female character I've ever read about.    Moreover, I believe my enjoyment of the story was greatly hindered by the use of the first-person point of view. Its usage is explained by the format of the book, however I found that it helped to create “a wall” between me and the characters.    This is more of a nit-picking, but if you're looking for a horror book that will genuinely terrify you, then “The Patient” is not something you need to pick up at the moment. There are some disturbing images in the novel, sure, but aside from that, there is nothing particularly scary about it.    Overall, I liked the book. It's a perfect story to listen to in the background as you're doing household chores or going somewhere. The plot was interesting enough to keep my attention, the gore disturbing enough to make me feel somewhat unpleasant. The ending leaves you with questions (or rather, one big question) on which you can ponder for some time. A good short read if you want to read something easy and enjoyable.