A review by awesomeeallyson
Wellness by Nathan Hill
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Nathan Hill tackles a lot in his sophomore novel. I really enjoyed The Nix but I think Hill took everything that worked in his debut novel and expanded it in this novel, almost to a fault. The tangents in Wellness take up a lot of space in this novel and while some of them are totally relevant and necessary, I think a lot of them could have been condensed. They also jumped around within the timeline of both the main characters which made the storyline a little harder to follow. I found myself speed-reading through some of the more boring sections so I could get back to the main storyline a little faster.
All that aside, I did really enjoy Jack and Elizabeth's characters. I found their character growth super interesting and the dynamic between both of them was almost a character in itself. Hill clearly put a lot of thought into all his side characters because they're almost fully-fleshed out and unforgettable. I mean, Brandie alone was a wild ride.
I can see how some of Hill's lessons in the book are interesting, but as with most of this book they could have been a little condensed. A lot of this book could have been stripped down or cutback without losing the charm. Overall this book was a lot of fun, it was just long though.
All that aside, I did really enjoy Jack and Elizabeth's characters. I found their character growth super interesting and the dynamic between both of them was almost a character in itself. Hill clearly put a lot of thought into all his side characters because they're almost fully-fleshed out and unforgettable. I mean, Brandie alone was a wild ride.
I can see how some of Hill's lessons in the book are interesting, but as with most of this book they could have been a little condensed. A lot of this book could have been stripped down or cutback without losing the charm. Overall this book was a lot of fun, it was just long though.