Wellness: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club) (Unabridged)
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4.2 • 98 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • The New York Times best-selling author of The Nix is back with a poignant and witty novel about a modern marriage and the bonds that keep people together. Mining the absurdities of contemporary society, Wellness reimagines the love story with a healthy dose of insight, irony, and heart.
"A stunning novel about the stories that we tell about our lives and our loves, and how we sustain relationships throughout time—it's beyond remarkable, both funny and heartbreaking, sometimes on the same page.” —NPR
When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the gritty '90s Chicago art scene, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in the thriving underground scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to suburban married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter the often-baffling pursuits of health and happiness from polyamorous would-be suitors to home-renovation hysteria.
For the first time, Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize each other, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A couple sinking into middle age wonder where the magic went in Nathan Hill’s witty novel of modern life and love. Jack and Elizabeth were college students in the 1990s when they met and fell in love against the backdrop of Chicago’s hip underground music and art scene. Twenty years later, the married couple are contemplating separate bedrooms in a condo they can barely afford and contending with a tantrum-y eight-year-old son. As Hill’s well-meaning protagonists struggle with the everyday frustrations of suburban life, he flashes back to examine how their earlier experiences—and even their family histories—make their current problems inevitable. As laugh-out-loud funny as Hill’s debut novel, The Nix, Wellness is a wonderfully sharp satire of contemporary life, and Ari Fliakos’ confident narration is a great match for the comedy and bittersweetness of the tale. This is a surprisingly emotional listen.
Customer Reviews
Relatable story
Enjoyed the tale of two people. Funny, unique and interesting with great narration.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Wellness is like a turbo-charged GPS for the soul, packed with juicy nuggets of wisdom on memories, marriage, and the cosmic tightrope act of staying sane in a world drowning in information overload, fake news, and more choices than a cereal aisle. Prepare yourself for an epic journey through the labyrinth of self-narratives and the exhilarating sport of cherry-picking the parts that make us shine while conveniently sweeping the rest under the rug. This mind-expanding novel will make you question whether we're all just master architects of our personas, shaping our lives and relationships with every thought and decision we make.
Now, when I read Nathan Hill's previous gem, "The Nix," and now "Wellness," I couldn't help but nod furiously, underline like there's no tomorrow, and stand in awe of his ability to give voice to the very thoughts, ideas, questions, and gripes that I regularly ponder. He holds up a mirror to our world, offering characters as a prism through which we can reflect upon how we live today and what we aspire to be.
Brilliant
Deeply touching, intellectually stimulating, humorous, emotional—- and so true. It made me cry, which I haven’t done so over a book in a very long time. Thank you, Nathan Hill.