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| Title: | The Silver Linings Playbook| Written by: | Matthew Quick | Genre: | Fiction, MIARC | |
 | Pat Peoples, the endearing narrator of this touching and funny debut, is down on his luck. The former high school history teacher has just been released from a mental institution and placed in the care of his mother. Not one to be discouraged, Pat believes he has only been on the inside for a few months––rather than four years––and plans on reconciling with his estranged wife. Refusing to accept that their apart time is actually a permanent separation, Pat spends his days and nights feverishly trying to become the man she had always desired. Our hapless hero makes a friend in Tiffany, the mentally unstable, widowed sister-in-law of his best friend, Ronnie. Each day as Pat heads out for his 10-mile run, Tiffany silently trails him, refusing to be shaken off by the object of her affection. The odd pair try to navigate a timid friendship, but as Pat is unable to discern friend from foe and reality from deranged optimism, every day proves to be a cringe-worthy adventure. |
The style of the book was intriguing - being told from the perspective of someone whose perspective is a bit off, coming to understand what happened before he went to "the bad place" and how long he really was in there, sometimes only moments before he does. I'm not sure if they ever explicitly say what his diagnosis was - it's a little confusing for me not to know.
I enjoyed it right up to the ending. It seemed a bit too clean, too nice, and too easy. We all know life usually doesn't work out so well.
