The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (Choice, Book)

Published in 2008 and written by Matthew Quick, The Silver Linings Playbook is one of the most contemporarily acclaimed novels. It’s film adaptation also won several Oscars and features a star-studded cast, but in this case as in many more, the book is definitely better than the movie. According to the author’s website, the novel “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.” The story is narrated by Pat Peoples, a 35 year-old man who has bipolar disorder, and has just been released from a psychiatric hospital. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by unpredictable and severe mood swings that can be triggered by some sort of event. In Pat’s case, his emotions swing from determined and very optimistic to intense and violent rage, triggered by the memory or mention that his ex-wife is now estranged. Throughout the novel, Pat comes to terms with his wife’s absence, and regains his memory surrounding the incident that put him in the hospital. The story is set in Collingswood, Pennsylvania, which is the hometown of the author. In the novel, Pat also attended Quick’s alma mater, and used to teach where Quick also taught. In this way, the novel is portrayed as the simple telling of the story of one man in suburban Pennsylvania.

            One of the most prominent themes conveyed in this story is the complexity of mental illness. Pat’s bipolar disorder requires him to experiment with several different drugs, each making him feel worse than the best version of himself. This is representative of most people’s experience with mental illness, and the difficulty that goes along with psychiatry. Pat’s fits of rage are also sometimes inspired by a Kenny G song that was his wedding song and also the song that was playing when he walked in on his wife cheating on him. This demonstrates how one small detail can carry significant, crippling meaning for those suffering with mental illness, even though it may seem harmless to others. Overall, the novel shows several complex aspects of mental illness that are not often portrayed in mainstream media. The next theme shown in the novel is the role that mental illness can have in family relationships. Pat’s disorder somewhat confounds his father, mother, and brother. Although they genuinely love him and want to help him, they often don’t know how to handle him when he is experiencing the intense emotions involved with bipolar disorder. This is often the case in many families in which one member has a mental illness. Although family members usually proceed with the best intentions, sometimes their actions can actually worsen the situation.

            I very recently read this book, and it truly is a beautiful work. Although the film can be credited for most of its fame, the novel can definitely be considered a contemporary classic, and is very deserving of its critical acclaim. Although I do not have bipolar disorder myself, a few members of my family live with this mental illness. I don’t have a strong enough relationship with them to really understand what it is like nor ever actually discuss what their mental illness means to them. In this way, The Silver Linings Playbook helped me to really understand what it can be like to live with bipolar disorder. Pat Peoples is a very endearing character that leaves no detail of his life out of his narrative, which really helped shed light on his mental illness and the way it affected his daily life. I also really appreciated the very positive portrayal of therapy in the novel. Pat grows a very strong bond with his therapist over time, which I think shows how therapy can have a constructive effect. Therapy is very stigmatized in modern culture, and I appreciated the way this novel helped get rid of that stigma and show how therapy can be life-changing. Overall, this novel is one of my favorites, and although it sounds like a paradox, its portrayal of mental illness is what makes it most beautiful.