Silver Linings Playbook
written by Matthew Quick
Pat believes in silver linings. It's a good thing he is an optimistic fellow because Pat has issues. Many issues. He has just gotten out of "the bad place" which happens to be a mental health facility. He can now begin his mission to end "apart time" with his wife, so the restraining orders will go away and he can prove himself a good husband. He constantly works on being "kind not right", reading classical literature, and becoming fit and strong. These are the things that Nicki will like.
There are many movies that I have seen and books that I've read and they all follow the same pattern. Not just a beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and the conclusion, but a sequence near the end of the story where the hero finds himself in trouble. At this time all hope is lost, but then some kind of miracle happens that enables the hero to live happily ever after, after all. Pat has sworn off movies so he can watch "the movie of his life", and he is ready for his miracle an happy ending.
This book is a humorous and casual read with some mysterious dark undertones. Pat seems like a happy guy, but the reader suspects and soon learns that there is a darker side to his now simplistic life. He doesn’t remember why his was put into “the bad place” and why “apart time” began. He doesn’t even realize that he’s been away for four years not the few months he thought it was. However like I said, Pat is an optimist.
He is living with his parents until he gets things figured out and works with Cliff, his therapist. He starts seeing some people that he hasn’t seen in a long time like his brother and his friend Ronnie who invites him to dinner one night. But, Pat never takes his mind off Nicki, even when cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles or when he meets Tiffany. However both the Eagles and, especially, Tiffany will alter his life. The Eagles unite the family, and wins and losses direct the tone of the book. As well as Tiffany who, like Pat, is in a rough spot herself. Recently widowed, she finds Pat and the two mentally strained people become friends. They make each other better. She even strikes a deal with him that convinces him to join her in a dancing competition in return for communication with Nicki.
Pat is funny and Mathew Quick is more inventive and imaginative than some other authors. When Pat trains for the dancing competition with Tiffany Quick writes a montage. He sums up a month of work in a chapter and encourages the reader to listen to the song “Gonna Fly Now” from the Rocky movie to give the reader a vivid and precise mood for Pat’s training. The music is optional, but Quick and I strongly recommend it to get the full experience this book has to offer. The story is excellent and I would read it again just for the montage.
