Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
“I don’t want to stay in the bad place, where no one believes in silver linings or love or happy endings.”
Silver Linings Playbook was endearing, heart-wrenching, and yes, funny. However, I wouldn't call it hilarious like in the description. The comedy was dark as the main character Pat, has just come home from his time in the “bad place”, or a mental hospital. He is dealing with a lot of troubling thoughts and healing from a situation that became traumatic to his mind along with other drastic consequences. Matthew Quick uses some comedic moments surrounding Eagles football and awkward encounters but at the heart of the story, this novel is about debilitating pain and how we heal and grow from it.
Pat is excited to get out of the bad place because this means he is closer to “apart time” being over and reuniting with his wife, Nikki. But everyone else seems to think “apart time” will never end. Thus starts Pat’s journey of healing as he finds most people don’t seem to understand him now that he’s “crazy”, except for maybe another “crazy" girl in his neighborhood.
Pat seems child-like and naive. He believes he is living out his life as a movie, and movies always end happy. He believes in silver linings, always staying optimistic and that apart time with his wife will end and she will be much happier with his new outlook and actions. Pat is obsessed with being as fit as possible for Nikki and works out several hours each day. He is also reading all her favorite books and those she teaches in order to have more intellectual conversations with her and her other friends.
“I am practicing being kind over being right.”
Not only is Pat focusing on actions that will help him reunite with his wife, but he is also trying hard to make his mother happy and reconnect with his father and brother. This is where football plays a huge part in the novel and Pat's healing process as it allows him to reconnect with his family, former best friend and new friends. Matthew Quick was clever in choosing a specific season of the Eagles that perfectly flows with Pat's highs and lows after coming home. The season and healing starts off strong and exciting, but then hard truths are revealed that set Pat back and the team's performance starts to plummet. Then, everything slowly ramps back up for the positive and we end wondering if they'll win the Superbowl and if Pat will get his ultimate happy ending. The ending was wonderfully perfect for the novel and subject matter. Depression and mental illness is not something that can be cured in a few weeks. There is no perfect happy ending or full closure for Pat, but it’s enough and it’s the start of a silver lining.
I also loved Pat. Even if he has some anger management problems and has blocked several years of his life to avoid an unsettling truth, he may not be so crazy. He is more observant of others emotions and characteristics and has a soft spot for every person he comes across. He has such a big heart and wants everyone around him to be happy. And even though he has felt a lot of pain, he is always optimistic. This novel was real and raw and I appreciate Quick's skill when writing such a difficult subject matter.
P.S the movie romanticizes much of what the book makes raw; the pain, suffering and mental instability. Although I didn't mind the movie, I definitely think the book gives so much more.
Synopsis: Meet Pat. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending for him—the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent time in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pat's now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; he's being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, he's being hunted by Kenny G!