Publisher's Synopsis
This book includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis, quotes, character descriptions, themes, and more.
The origin tells the story of Alicia, who killed her husband, Gabriel, six years earlier--and hasn't spoken since. The bulk of the novel takes place in the present-day, narrated by Theo Faber, a forensic psychoanalyst who recently began working with Alicia at The Grove, the mental institute where she resides following Gabriel's murder. The novel uses the epistolary technique, interspersing Theo's narrative with excerpts from Alicia's old diary, a written narrative from the past that recounts the weeks running up to Gabriel's murder. These two narratives ultimately intersect in a plot twist that reveals that Theo and Alicia have a shared past that is far more personal than the simple doctor-patient relationship first presented.
