Wellness

I expected 'Wellness' not to measure up to 'The Nix'.It turned out not only to be just as good but quite different.Mr Hill's prose is brilliant - never difficult to read even when articulating difficult concepts.

Enjoyed the epic tale - sharply observed commentary on aspects of modern life. Well written and ironic.

Nathan Hill has the ability to write superb humorous and tragic prose that is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating - sometimes in the same sentence ! The story is compelling and exciting whilst exploring various rabbit holes seamlessly incorporated. Looking at the bibliography it is easy to see why Nathan is so foot sure about so many technicalities. He is well read and hugely articulate. This and The Nix are both masterpieces and book clubs and advanced level curricula would be well advised to visit these works as there are abundant ideas to mull over and discuss. Plus of course the sheer entertainment value of these very readable gems.

Part satire on wellness and the psychology of belief part pondering over the difficulties of long term partnerships. Each chapter is akin to a short story with the central characters, Jack and Elizabeth, and their relationship the binding thread. It is beautifully written but that in itself is part of the problem for this book. Whilst the author confronts many beliefs he doesn’t do it succinctly. The story can be over descriptive 100 words when perhaps 25 would suffice and that results in repetitive tedium and loss of the reader’s concentration. Better editing would improve this as a novelThe book is long and to complete it I needed to tackle it in short sections flicking through repetitive over descriptive sections, then walk away. It’s a shame because some of the author’s points merit reflection

Quite an intense book can’t decide whether I’ m going to enjoy reading to the end, but obviously hadsome amazing reviews but books are subjective and personal to the reader.

An amazing delve into modern life and the covert, malignant manipulation that underpins so many fads and trends. Everyone needs to read this book. In awe of the research that must have been done to create such an impressive tome. Only niggle is that at times I thought it was a tad long-winded.

Nathan hill paints a world so complex rich and full of stories, science and emotion it is overwhelming, before tying everything together and showing you it was just 1 story all along

Wellness is the story of Jack and Elizabeth’s relationship from their first meeting in 1990s Chicago to current day. In their early days they convince themselves that they are soulmates but are now questioning this whilst trying to reconnect / regain that original spark, through somewhat questionable means.These attempts allow the author to bring in many aspects on modern life, especially life hacks or wellness products we use telling ourselves they will improve our lives without thinking about what is really important in life.This book resonated with me personally as I am the same age as the characters so could relate directly to how my life has changed in similar ways to theirs. I too was a 90s alternative teen an am now accepting my more settled life in early middle age. The book ultimately made me feel thankful that this isn’t really a bad thing.The characters are multilayered, so even though I found them dislike able at times they were very believable and ultimately Imfelt compassion for them.I have seen some criticism of the tangents the author takes but I felt they were realistic as the book spans such a length of time. To me it is understandable thatbthe characters would grapple with the many changes that have come about over the last 30 years. They were also written in such a way that brought some humour which balanced out some of the sadder parts of the story.I don’t reread books often but this one covers so much ground that I will happily revisit this one and take time to reflect on some of the questions it brought up for me.