The Patient – Jasper DeWitt

This book is freaking insane!!!!  Written as a series of blog posts in a reddit-style medical forum this is a whole package of craziness and I absolutely loved it!!!

Set in a psychiatric hospital in New England, Parker is a new young psychiatrist who becomes intrigued by Patient Joe.  Admitted at the age of 6 years old, Joe is now a fully grown adult, still in the hospital and undiagnosed by his many previous doctors, “every person who has attempted to treat him has been driven to madness or suicide”.  He is so dangerous it’s as if they want to keep him locked up forever and throw away the key, yet Parker feels he can be the one to help him.

The story is dark and disturbing but you can’t look away.  Although I am a huge fan of thrillers I don’t tend to read a lot of horror, and whilst there is certainly a horror element to this book it’s relatively light and I was sucked in right from the start.

It’s a short read, at only 209 pages but wow, does it pack a punch in those 209 pages.  Yes, the ending is wrapped up quite quickly which would normally bother me but it made sense and worked with the theme of blog posts and patient notes.

Uniquely written, accept the fact that this is totally different to anything you’ve probably read before, a different style where the story won’t be neatly wrapped up in with a bow that you can explain.  It is open to your own interpretation and your own imagination and that is what I loved about it.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this awesome debut novel in exchange for my honest review.

*****