by: Nathan Hill
Goodreads description:
The New York Times best-selling author of The Nix is back with a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the often baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together. From the gritty ’90s Chicago art scene to a suburbia of detox diets and home-renovation hysteria, Wellness reimagines the love story with a healthy dose of insight, irony, and heart.
“A hilarious and moving exploration of a modern marriage that astounds in its breadth and intimacy.”—Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half
When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the ’90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago’s thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter cults disguised as mindfulness support groups, polyamorous would-be suitors, Facebook wars, and something called Love Potion Number Nine.
For the first time, Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize each other, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓
This is my kind of book! I love contemporary fiction with a firm grasp on the obvious and mundane details of life. If you like anything by Jonathan Franzen or Jenny Jackson’s recent Pineapple Street, you will enjoy this one. A case study in the American marriage, I found myself getting mad at the husband and picking up on the couple’s contentious energy. Parts of this book were laugh out loud funny and, frankly, (a funny overused word in the book!) just a parody of modern day existence. It started to drag a little in the last portion- too much talk of algorithms- but the ending was great.
Holly says:🤓🤓🤓🤓
I really liked this book. It is smart, it is funny, it is sad, and it is a social commentary (bordering on satire) on marriage and life in general. There are some cringe-worthy, but quite funny, stereo-typical characters who are almost caricatures of certain personalities (you may recognize someone you know 😮). And I did have some laugh-out-loud moments – a few on the airplane (luckily most people were “podded” up and had no idea how entertained I was). Some of the characters are so deep inside their own heads that I am not sure they are aware of what is going on in the world around them, but it does make them quite entertaining. And I guess that is part of the social commentary – which Nathan Hill does very well. This is not a quick read, but it is worth the investment of your time.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 