Tender is the Night

"Tender is the Night" is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1934. Set in the French Riviera in the 1920s, it tells the story of the charming and talented psychiatrist Dick Diver and his wife, Nicole, who suffers from schizophrenia. The novel unfolds the complex dynamics of their marriage and the glittering yet destructive world of the wealthy expatriates they surround themselves with. Fitzgerald intricately weaves themes of love, wealth, and decline, both personal and societal, through the narrative. The story is as much about the unraveling of the Divers' relationship as it is about the erosion of Dick's character and ideals, mirroring the moral decay of the time. "Tender is the Night" is considered one of Fitzgerald’s most poignant works, with its rich exploration of the American psyche, the corrosive effects of money and status, and the elusive nature of happiness and identity in the post-war disillusionment era.