The Patient

A Novel

De: Jane Shemilt

Narrado por: Hilary Maclean

A shocking and twisty novel of psychological suspense about a boundary-breaking love affair between a doctor and her patient, by Jane Shemilt, Edgar-nominated, #1 international bestselling author of The Daughter.

What price would you pay for falling in love?

Rachel is a respected doctor who lives in a picturesque and affluent English village where her husband Nathan teaches at an elite private school. Competent, unflappable, and nearing 50, Rachel has everything in her life firmly in her control, even if some of its early luster has worn off. But one day a new patient arrives at her practice for emergency treatment. Luc is a French painter married to a wealthy American woman who’s just bought and restored a historic home on the edge of Rachel’s posh neighborhood. The couple has only recently arrived, but Luc is struggling with a mental disorder, and so he goes to the nearest clinic…to Rachel.

Their attraction is instant, and as Rachel’s sense of ethics wars with newly awakened passion, the affair blinds her to everything else happening around her. A longtime patient appears to be following her every movement, turning up unexpectedly wherever she goes. Her somewhat estranged adult daughter Lizzie is hiding a secret—or at least, hiding it from Rachel. Nathan has grown sour and cold as well—or is that merely Rachel’s guilty conscience weighing on her? But when one of her colleagues winds up murdered and Luc is arrested for the crime, everything Rachel didn’t know about her life explodes into the open—along with her affair with her patient—a disgrace and scandal that will have consequences no one could have predicted.

©2022 Jane Shemilt (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

I'm happy to have read this!

Wow! Life really had a go at Rachel, but through it all, for the most part, she stayed strong, maintained her rational mind, and never broke down or lashed out.

Very Good

Overall, this was a highly entertaining listen.
There are very interesting and well developed characters, an engaging and mysterious plot, and the atmosphere is well established.
The descriptive language is beautiful, there is no question JS knows how to bring the reader “into the room” and make one feel very much a part of the time/place/people of the story.
The story itself is strong.
What is difficult is this constant self shaming the female protagonist subjects herself to.
This near constant “if only” our protagonist had done this or that (differently) becomes painful and feels indulgent/selfish.
From her issues with her grown daughter, to things that she should’ve or could’ve seen to prevent certain tragic elements from unfolding; it just seems unnecessary.
The plot is great, I’ve no regrets about purchasing this book, I just hoped for a little redemption/acceptance for the protagonist in the end and that doesn’t really happen.
Still a gorgeous, clever, tragic, and well written book…

A refreshing thriller

A well written and read story that brings an unbelievable plot of partner swapping and a Van Gogh’s painting seamlessly together.

Confused

Where was the plot????????? Suffered though the whole thing. Maybe I missed something. Was not an easy read at all.

Impatient with The Patient

This story is slow moving and incredibly boring. The main character constantly wanders off into irrelevant and annoying reminiscences and internal monologues. It gets worse and worse the longer the narrator drones on. I don't see the point of this story and do not recommend it.