The Silver Lining's Playbook by Matthew Quick Book Review

I'm starting something new, book reviews! I'm not sure how this will work out or if I will be able to keep up with it, but I'd like to give it a try.  Bear with me as it may be painful to watch/read from afar.  You will probably see changes, hopefully improving in content, but probably format as well as I begin to familiarize myself with various styles of writing book reviews.  By the way, if you have done this before and have any thoughts or suggestions, I would love your input. Drop me a comment and I'll find a way to get into contact with you.
_____________________________________________________________________

Pre-movie book cover
(Image taken from barnesandnoble.com)

Movie-Cover
(Image taken from goodreads.com)

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick is about the story of Pat Peoples journey after his release from a mental health facility and his quest to be reunited with his estranged wife, Nikki. 

This book is written from the perspective of a healing man, one who acknowledges he has had past issues with anger and kindness (lack thereof, to be clear), but also doesn't remember past events.  The writing style, while it may be an accurate representation of how someone in this situation may think, is overly simplistic (which makes the book a very easy read) and therefore childish.  I know that is harsh and I would like to clarify that it doesn't mean the book is a bad read, but it does make it a little more difficult to appreciate for the perspective it tries to convey (that of a person healing in a non-physical, but mental way).  On the other hand, maybe it's more realistic.... I don't know!

This book digs deep into how Pat Peoples must find a way to cope with his anger and be a person other people can enjoy being around.  Pat's sole reason for dealing with these issues is to be reunited with his wife and finally end, 'apart time.'  Everything Pat does centers around this one goal, his extreme exercise, his continuous and very conscious need to be kind towards others, his classic literature reading, his odd and complicated relationship with Tiffany (his best-friend's wife's sister, who also has her own set of issues to work through)... all to end 'apart time.'  In the mean time, his family and friends and us, the reader, see Pat transform.

The lesson of this story, which you are introduced to early in this book (so don't worry, this is not a give away!), is that there is a silver lining in everything.  The subtly of this lesson is in how Pat Peoples processes his perception of the silver lining as he becomes more aware of his past events and his present surroundings.  In the end, I did appreciate the book for providing perspective on mental health complexities in an approachable manner, despite the writing style.  It clearly establishes the origination of Pat's anger back to his father, which sustains the test of time through his mother's inability to fight (interesting word in this scenario, but by this I mean to be firm in her desires for her husband to be a different person) back.  Pat Peoples learns to accept himself, for everything he is ... which although is a bit of a cliche ending I appreciate since it chooses not to ignore the fragile state of his mind (that is to say, it's not magically fixed after release, his ability to acclimate to society takes work, every single day).

I do recommend you read this book, but let it be for pleasure.  Take the writing style with a grain of salt and appreciate the style for how it contributes to the mental state of Pat Peoples. If you decide to read it, I would like to hear your thoughts on how the author's writing style contributes or does not contribute to conveying the state of mind of someone dealing with their mental health.