Saturday, April 26, 2014

MAY'S BOOK OF THE MONTH-SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

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.

2 comments:

Lauri said...

Yes I read the book club book, and yes I did like it. I liked every character except the father. But since I am practicing “being nice instead of right” I have nothing more to say about him. This book was well written and such a fast read I was able to read it while hanging in the backyard with my grandson and while he took a nap.

I especially liked the montage and the ending. I would consider reading another of his books.

Quote: "I sort of let my appearance go, to the point where I was maybe ten to seventy pounds overweight.” P.14

Stephanie :) said...

I actually read the book! And finished days before we meet! I really liked this book. I kept laughing, which isn't quite appropriate while at work, trying to "look busy." I was tempted to flip forward to read the ending, but resisted. I, too, loved the montage. I ended up watching the movie since I wanted more and liked the book much more than the movie.