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A review by breanneporter
Wellness by Nathan Hill
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this. I was a bit intimidated by the length but I was hooked early, and I’m very glad I picked it up. Wellness follows Jack and Elizabeth, a straight couple who meet and fall in love as college students in Chicago in the early 90s, each having just escaped their trauma-filled pasts and crappy parents. We get their origin story and then it jumps twenty years in the future as they’re raising a young son and experiencing some marital trouble. Throughout the novel we go back and forth in time to reveal more and more relevant information about their respective careers and upbringings: Jack is an artist and adjunct professor hiding a particularly traumatic event from his childhood and Elizabeth is a research scientist interested in the power of belief and placebo effects who operates in a ethical gray area and tries to distance herself as much as she can from her wealthy and perfectionist family tree.
The novel takes some interesting risks with style and storytelling that I really liked. It also isn’t always totally clear what it’s about, or at least it definitely doesn’t go where you as the reader think it will. It’s surprising and emotional and an intriguing read. I particularly liked the descriptions of Elizabeth’s career and of Jack’s childhood. I do think
Jack is a more sympathetic character, but I don’t know if that’s just because I personally relate more to his way of thinking and relating to his wife (and the world). I liked that we got both perspectives and that many other characters helped fill out the world. Somehow, after 19 hours on audio, I still felt like the ending was a bit rushed and unsatisfying (I wanted more!) and I’m not totally sure what to take away from this tale, but I know I’ll be thinking about it for a while longer and I’m really glad I read it. Recommend!!
The novel takes some interesting risks with style and storytelling that I really liked. It also isn’t always totally clear what it’s about, or at least it definitely doesn’t go where you as the reader think it will. It’s surprising and emotional and an intriguing read. I particularly liked the descriptions of Elizabeth’s career and of Jack’s childhood. I do think
Jack is a more sympathetic character, but I don’t know if that’s just because I personally relate more to his way of thinking and relating to his wife (and the world). I liked that we got both perspectives and that many other characters helped fill out the world. Somehow, after 19 hours on audio, I still felt like the ending was a bit rushed and unsatisfying (I wanted more!) and I’m not totally sure what to take away from this tale, but I know I’ll be thinking about it for a while longer and I’m really glad I read it. Recommend!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts