The Silent Patient
by Alex Michaelides
A famous painter shoots her husband and then never speaks again, and a psychotherapist is determined to find out why. A twisty psychological thriller. Read the full description
Best for: Thriller fans who love a big twist
The Silent Patient is #37 on BookWard's Top 100 books for September 2026, with a BookWard Score of 70 out of 100.
The Silent Patient: reading interest over the past 12 months
Sources: Open Library’s public reading-log and ratings data (dump of 2026-08-31), Wikipedia page views and Wikidata. Monthly counts are exact; they show relative interest among readers of these public sources, not total readership.
Ranked against the other books on this list, The Silent Patient’s reading interest has run from #22 to #56 over these 12 months. Interest rank blends shelf adds, Wikipedia page views and rating activity, each compared with the other 99 books that month.
Shelf adds by month
The Silent Patient was added to Open Library readers’ shelves 922 times in the past 12 months, peaking in September 2025 with 162 (111% above its monthly average of 77). Over the latest three months (Jun 2026 to Aug 2026) shelf adds were down 10% on the three months before. 88% of the adds were “want to read”, 7% “currently reading” and 5% “already read”.
Want to read Currently reading Already read
Wikipedia page views
Its Wikipedia article was viewed 391,150 times in the past 12 months, peaking in January 2026 with 53,047 views. The latest three months were up 15% on the three before.
Source: Wikimedia monthly page views for the article The Silent Patient.
What the data says about The Silent Patient
- Moderate swings. Monthly shelf adds averaged 77 with some ups and downs.
- Busiest and quietest months. September 2025 was its busiest month (162 adds), about 3.5 times its quietest, February 2026 (46).
- Attention and shelf adds move independently. Its Wikipedia views and its shelf adds did not rise and fall together over these 12 months (correlation -0.38).
- Against its genre. It had 25% more shelf adds than the average Thriller and mystery book on this list.
- Share of the list. It accounts for 0.9% of all shelf adds recorded for the Top 100 over these 12 months, #35 of 100.
- Its age. First published in 2018 (8 years ago), it is older than 18% of the books on the list.
Each finding is computed from the public data above and shown only when the numbers support it.
The Silent Patient on the Top 100: rank history
First charted in September 2026. The chart gains a point with every monthly update, so its peak, climbs and falls will show here as they happen.
| Month | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | #37 | 70 |
Is The Silent Patient rising or falling?
Cooling It ranks lower this week than over the past year, so interest is softening from its recent level.
On Open Library, The Silent Patient ranks #41 this week, #48 this month, and #47 over the past year. A longer bar means a higher position. Comparing the three windows shows whether readers are arriving faster than the book's long-term pace. Readings as of 2026-09-30.
Why The Silent Patient made the Top 100
The Silent Patient made the list mainly on momentum (+28.9 points) and being read right now (+18.5 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0). The BookWard Score blends five public signals, each scored from 0 to 100 and weighted as shown.
The reading-now, rating and rank signals come from Open Library’s public data, not from BookWard’s own readers. The score measures reading interest, not quality or sales. How the score works.
Open Library reader stats for The Silent Patient
Source: Open Library public reading logs, as of 2026-09-30. BookWard’s own monthly snapshots are added to the picture, and anonymous BookWard reader data will be layered in as the community grows.
More readers have The Silent Patient open right now than 52% of the other books on this list. These counts come from one public source, so they show relative interest rather than total readership.
Where it sits among Thriller and mystery books
It is #2 of the 5 Thriller and mystery books on this month’s list.
About The Silent Patient
A famous painter shoots her husband and then never speaks again, and a psychotherapist is determined to find out why. A twisty psychological thriller.
Why it’s here: Its twist is famous, which drives curious readers to see for themselves.
Best for: Thriller fans who love a big twist
At a glance
- First published
- 2019
- Genre
- Thriller and mystery
- Also described as
- thriller novel, psychological thriller
- Length
- about 352 pages (the median across its editions)
- Original language
- English
- Languages
- editions in 6 languages listed on Open Library
- Editions
- 26 on Open Library
- Setting
- London
From Open Library and Wikidata public records. Missing rows mean the records do not list that fact.
Themes
- Silence and trauma
- Obsession
- Therapy
What reading it is like
A fast, twisty psychological thriller told in alternating voices.
At about 352 pages it is a longer read: roughly 7 hours at an average reading pace (about 250 words a minute, 300 words a page). Audiobook and edition lengths vary.
Good to know
Contains violence and mental-health themes, and is known for its twist ending.
The premise
Alicia Berenson, a famous painter, shoots her husband and then never speaks again. A psychotherapist becomes determined to get her to talk and to uncover the truth.
What you’ll get
- A twisty psychological thriller
- Short chapters that keep you reading
- A big final reveal
You might skip it if you dislike dark, unsettling stories.
Pairs well with: The Housemaid
Keep exploring the chart
Also on the chart at #36 and #38
Questions about The Silent Patient
What rank is The Silent Patient on the Top 100 books?
The Silent Patient is #37 on BookWard's Top 100 books for September 2026, with a BookWard Score of 70 out of 100.
Is The Silent Patient rising or falling?
Cooling. It ranks lower this week than over the past year, so interest is softening from its recent level. On Open Library, The Silent Patient ranks #41 this week, #48 this month, and #47 over the past year.
Why is The Silent Patient on the Top 100?
The Silent Patient made the list mainly on momentum (+28.9 points) and being read right now (+18.5 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0).
How many people are reading The Silent Patient right now?
Open Library's reading logs show 305 readers currently reading The Silent Patient, 5,173 who want to read it and 273 who have logged it as read (as of 2026-09-30). These are counts from one public source, not all readers.
How much interest has The Silent Patient had over the past year?
922 Open Library shelf adds in the past 12 months (peak September 2025, 162); latest three months down 10% on the prior three; 391,150 Wikipedia views in the past 12 months (up 15% over the latest three months). Figures come from Open Library and Wikipedia public data.
Who is The Silent Patient best for?
Thriller fans who love a big twist.
Ask a question about The Silent Patient
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How we know
This page is built from public data: Open Library’s dated reading-log and ratings dumps, Wikipedia page views, Wikidata, and BookWard’s own monthly Top 100 snapshots. The interest rank blends shelf adds (45%), Wikipedia page views (30%), rating activity (10%) and, for months where a snapshot exists, BookWard’s own score (15%), each as a percentile among the Top 100 books. Every month shown is real data; nothing is estimated. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Last updated September 2026. Read the full methodology.
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