Wellness: A novel (Unabridged)
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4.1 • 52 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • 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.
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.
Amazingly fresh!
Loved this book and the story. It was very well rounded and covered both perspectives in a relationship very well, while also taking into account how their pass brought them to where they are in the story. Very special.