Books Like The Silent Patient

Everyone has experienced love for someone or something, but this love can become an all-consuming obsession for some people. While some were able to channel their obsessions into greatness for others, it destroyed their lives as well as the lives of those around them. Because of the intense emotions involved with obsessions, it has been a favorite topic amongst authors, with many books centered around it. For example, in The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, a criminal psychotherapist becomes obsessed with his patient, a well-respected artist who killed her husband. For more dark, twisted novels where obsession takes center stage, check out the following books like The Silent Patient.

Enduring Love

by Ian McEwan

Enduring Love is a novel by Ian McEwan that was published in 1997. The story follows Joe Rose, who witnesses a freak hot-air balloon accident while on a picnic with his wife, Clarissa. Joe springs into action along with several other men to help a young boy and his grandfather during the accident, claiming the life of a doctor named John Logan. Unfortunately for Joe, one of the other rescues is a man named Jed Parry, who develops an obsession with him. This obsession is so powerful that it threatens everything in Rose’s life and drives him to the brink of murder and madness. 

The Obsession

by Nora Roberts

The Obsession by Nora Roberts sees an eleven-year-old girl named Naomi make the startling discovery that her father is a serial killer. Naomi manages to free one of his victims and reveal the truth to the police, which sees her father getting arrested. In the aftermath, her family is forced into hiding, and her mother remains obsessed with her father, resulting in Naomi being raised by her uncles. Naomi changes her surname when she grows up and becomes a photographer, hoping to put the past behind her. However, when she finally decides to settle down in a community that accepts her, another serial killer makes an appearance. Not only is the killer a copycat of her father, but he also seems to have an obsession with Naomi. 

Misery

by Stephen King

Misery by Stephen King is a horror novel that deals with the obsession that some fans can develop with celebrities. The celebrity, in this case, is Paul Sheldon, a bestselling novelist famous for his romance series starring Misery Chastain. In a bid to expand his creative horizons, Paul makes the controversial choice of killing off Misery and ending the series. However, after a near-fatal car accident, Paul finds himself being nursed baked to health by Annie Wilkes. Annie, a former nurse, tells Paul that she is his number one fan but doesn’t approve of what he did to Misery. While keeping Paul prisoner in her isolated house, she forces him to start a new novel starring Misery using very persuasive and violent methods. 

Secret Obsession

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

Secret Obsession by Kimberla Lawson Roby is a story about the lengths some people would go to for their obsessions. In this case, Paige Donahue is obsessed with her older sister Camille’s husband, Pierce. Paige has lived her life in Camille’s shadow, and after a childhood where their mother clearly favored her eldest, Paige wants what she believes should be hers. Camille lives in a beautiful home with Pierce and their two children, while Paige lives in a small condo struggling to make ends meet. Then, just as her plan to steal Pierce away appears to be working, he tries to make his marriage work, which sends Paige spiraling even further into obsession.

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

One of the most well-known tales of obsession is The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. It was first published in a French newspaper as a serial from 1909 to 1910 before being released as a novel. The setting is the Paris Opera House, where a young Swedish chorus girl named Christine Daaé begins hearing the voice of a mysterious phantom. The Phantom teaches her how to sing but develops an obsession with her in the process. When Christine instead falls in love with her childhood friend Raoul, the Phantom becomes enraged and kidnaps her intending to force her to become his wife. Christine eventually unmasks the Phantom, only to discover that he is a deformed man named Erik living in the cellars of the opera house. 

The Doll Factory

by Elizabeth Macneal

The Doll Factory is a novel about obsession by Elizabeth Macneal. It is set in London in the 1850s, where two people meet by happenstance while watching the Great Exhibition being erected in Hyde Park. Iris, an aspiring artist, treats it as a brief and forgettable moment, but for Silas, it marks the beginning of an obsession. Iris is given the opportunity to model for an artist named Louis Frost and agrees on the condition that he also teaches her the art. However, in the meantime, Silas still remembers their chance meeting, and his obsession with Iris has only worsened.

Damage

by Josephine Hart

Damage by Josephine shows how dangerous obsessions can be and the devastating consequences that can result from them. The protagonist, Stephen Fleming, is a middle-aged man who seemingly lacks for nothing. He is wealthy, has a beautiful wife and children as well as a prestigious political career in Parliament. However, Stephen feels like his life lacks passion, which drives him to develop an obsession with his son’s fiancee, Anna. Stephen knows that obsession will cost him everything but is powerless to stop it.