The Silver Linings Playbook [Review]

Stats:
302 Pages [Kindle]
Published: 21 April 2010
ASIN: B001ANSSDC
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Synopsis:
An enchanting first novel about love, madness, and Kenny G.  

The Silver Linings Playbook is the riotous and poignant story of how one man regains his memory and comes to terms with the magnitude of his wife’s betrayal. 

During the years he spends in a neural health facility, Pat Peoples formulates a theory about silver linings: he believes his life is a movie produced by God, his mission is to become physically fit and emotionally supportive, and his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. When Pat goes to live with his parents, everything seems changed: no one will talk to him about Nikki; his old friends are saddled with families; the Philadelphia Eagles keep losing, making his father moody; and his new therapist seems to be recommending adultery as a form of therapy. 

When Pat meets the tragically widowed and clinically depressed Tiffany, she offers to act as a liaison between him and his wife, if only he will give up watching football, agree to perform in this year’s Dance Away Depression competition, and promise not to tell anyone about their “contract.” All the while, Pat keeps searching for his silver lining. 

In this brilliantly written debut novel, Matthew Quick takes us inside Pat’s mind, deftly showing us the world from his distorted yet endearing perspective. The result is a touching and funny story that helps us look at both depression and love in a wonderfully refreshing way.


My Thoughts:
I did the unthinkable here...I watched the movie before I read the book. Here's the thing though...I was unaware it was based on a book. However, based on what I felt after reading the book, I think I need to start reading the book after I see the movie. I'm one of those people that will pick apart all the differences in the movie and it often makes me enjoy it less.

The movie was outstanding...let me start out by saying that.
The book was incredible. There were a lot of major differences. A lot. I feel as if they captured the inner monologue of Pat Peoples perfectly though and they really cast Jennifer Lawrence in the perfect role. She was the perfect Tiffany. Since I read the book after the fact...I think that I can safely say that I loved them both.

Pat Peoples is just getting out of a mental institution or what he calls "the bad place" and has high hopes of getting back together with his wife after their "apart time". He has been trying really hard to better himself, so Nikki, his wife, will take him back. He goes to live with his very emotional mom and his very angry, Eagles-obsessed father. He is invited over to his friend Ronnie's house for a welcome home dinner hosted by his very stuck up, controlling wife, Veronica. At dinner, he is introduced to Veronica's widowed sister, Tiffany, who apparently has just as many issues as Pat.

The thing I really love about this book is the way in which the story is told. It's almost a journal format and I love how easily it is to connect with the main character when it is their voice and you are in their head every step of the way. Pat is such a likeable character. You immediately want to root for him and hope for the best for him. Tiffany, for me, is immediately likable too. I love her character.


Previous Review:
Everneath by Brodi Ashton [here]

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