The Silver Linings Playbook

Front Book Cover (Original) 2008

The Silver Linings Playbook
By Matthew Quick

"As if he were Yoda, and I were Luke Skywalker... Training on the Dagobah System..."

About the Author
Matthew Quick grew up in Oaklyn, New Jersey. He graduated from Collingswood High School and has a degree in English Literature from La Salle University. Quick was an English teacher in Haddonfield, NJ, before he quit to write his novel. He currently lives in Massachusetts with his wife who is also a novelist.

The Story
Pat Peoples has recently returned home after being released from a psychiatric hospital, after having a mental breakdown, when his wife Nikki, suggested that they have "Apart time". He has spent the past 4 years living in the hospital, and has finally moved back into his parents house in his old neighbourhood.
Pat believes that his life is a movie it is being produced by God, and that his "Silver Lining" in life will be the reunion between him and his estranged wife. He works to try to get his life back on track through self-improvement, so when the time comes, Nikki will want him back. However, Pat soon meets a young woman by the name of Tiffany, who has a strange obsession with him and starts to follow him around. After a while, the two become friends and Pat learns about her life before and after losing her job when her husband passed. Pat is a huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team, and from this, he starts to rebuild his relationship with his brother. We learn that Pat also attends therapist sessions to help him to cope with his life, and to help him move on from what was once his "old movie" life he had become accustomed to.

Will Pat be able to get over Nikki and move on with his life?
Or, will he realise the truth and fall back into oblivion?

Characters
The use of characters in this story are limited. By limited I do not mean there are only a few, but limited meaning to suggest that we don't learn a lot about other characters throughout the story. Our most beloved characters are listed below:

• Pat Peoples - Acts as the narrator of our story, our beloved sweetheart and main protaganist.
• Jake Peoples - Pat's younger brother, and fellow Eagles fan
• Tiffany Maxwell - Female lead character, the young lady in which our story begins to revolve around.
• Ronnie - Pats best friend and neighbour. Ronnie is also Veronica's husband and Emily's father.
• Cliff Patel - Pat's therapist after being released from the "bad place" and a member of the "Asian Invasion".

The characters mentioned above are all important in our story because they have a special relationship with the main character. They each have a story to tell, and are special in more than one way to Pat.
Other characters mentioned, but are not elaborated upon, throughout the story include: Danny, Scott, Jeanie, Patrick, Veronica and Emily.
Our main characters, detailed above have helped contribute to the creation of "Pat" in the readers mind, and it tells of how they have built friendships and foundations around Pat, helped him in his mentally deranged state, carried him through life and protected him from his past, but that still doesn't stop him from wanting the one thing that keeps the story afloat.
Nikki.
Nikki is Pats estranged wife who throughout the story we never meet, we are forced to build a character in our mind from how Pat describes her from his past. She is an English Literature teacher at Jefferson High School, and is a huge fan of Sylvia Plath and Hemingway.

Plot Lines
At the start of the story we learn that Pat has just returned from a mental health facility, and that he is trying to get his life back together and self-improve. He starts by working out for a number of hours each day and then going for long runs. To show he is serious, Pat indulges in Nikki's favourite authors in an attempt to win her back.
He does this to prove he is a new man and that he is able to change for the better.
The fact that Pat really wants to learn, and wants to change his personality really intrigued me.
Another thing that I loved about the story, is how Nikki was never actually present in a scene. Any conversation that is exchanged between Nikki and Pat was always through letters. Anything we learnt about her was from Pat telling the reader himself, or from conversations with another character in the book.
The final element I enjoyed about the story, was how all the male characters in the book had the same amount of passion for the Eagles as Pat did. This helped me, as the reader, connect people together and realise how strong the relationships actually are.

OVERALL

Story: 7/10

Characterisation: 7½/10

Re-readable: Maybe

Recommend to a friend: Yes

Overall I rate this book: 7/10

Keeping in mind that this is only my second review, I have been nervous about writing for this book because I didn't know what to make of the story itself. It was very powerful and gives you a real insight into alternative life experiences and just how difficult it can be, no matter how old you are. Whilst reading you are following the hard times of Pat's life, learning how he copes with everyday problems and rebuilding relationships with people from his past.
I love how Matthew Quick has managed to keep you interested at the best of times, and show you how much life can lift you up and also bring you down.

Theatrical Poster

I liked the storyline and the characters very much, but at the same time the way in which Pat Peoples was portrayed made me think he was a little immature. When reading what he is telling the audience, whether it be what he did in the institute, or what he plans on doing in the future, he repeats most things he says quite a few times. I understand he is adjusting to his life again, but I couldn't quite get used to how his character was played out.
However, I also loved how Pat was portrayed in this way, because we were able to learn that you can change when something so drastic happens in your life, and that it does take time to adjust to everything that is new around you.

The Silver Linings Playbook was released as a movie in November 2012 in the United States and the United Kingdom. It stars Bradley Cooper as Pat (surname changed to Solitano), and Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell.
Like in most film adaptations of books, the film differs quite a bit from the storyline in the novel.

I recommend this book to fans of Contemporary Romance

Other Books by Matthew Quick

1. Sorta Like a Rockstar
2. Boy21

For Fans of:

• Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)
• John Boyne (The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas)
• Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

If you liked this, you'll also like:

• Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky