Review: Silver Linings Playbook

"If clouds are blocking the sun, there will always be a silver lining that reminds me to keep on trying because I know that while things might seem dark now, my wife is coming back to me soon."

Synopsis
Pat Peoples knows that life doesn’t always go according to plan, but he’s determined to get his back on track. After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, Pat is staying with his parents and trying to live according to his new philosophy: get fit, be nice and always look for the silver lining. Most importantly, Pat is determined to be reconciled with his wife Nikki. Pat’s parents just want to protect him so he can get back on his feet, but when Pat befriends the mysterious Tiffany, the secrets they’ve been keeping from him threaten to come out . . .

Review

Mathew Quick's Silver Linings Playbook is outstanding. An accomplishment that deserves all the praise. It was recently adapted into a film but unfortunately for me I preferred the book to the film.Apart from the Robert De Niro and Jenifer Lawrence the rest of film didn't really work for me. Robert De Niro as Pat's father is superb and Jenifer Lawrence is compelling Tiffany. Tiffany also has mental health issues and together they are able to recover.  The book however is stand alone of the best books I've ever read.  Silver Lining Playbook sounds like a chicklit. Its not. I say this because there's a temptation to categorize books with happy endings as chicklit and having watched the film, the temptation become impossible to resist but this book isn't chicklit. However it does have a happy ending (spoiler). I admit I do love my happy endings however in this case I found the happy ending a little too abrupt. The love story wasn't developed enough to seem realistic. The book is based around Pat Peoples 's recovery. He suffers from mental illness and like many mentally ill patients he's very childlike. He's at times confused as to why his mother lies to him, he's confused as to how his missed out on almost four years of his life and his confused about Nicki.

Through his narration Pat People is able to express himself and reveals his unstable state of mind which is very chaotic but strangely ordered. Silver Lining Playbook is unlike many books I've read on mental health because we learn about Pat People from Pat Peoples. Other books about mental illness involve a third party, a voice that lays the scene and explain things for the read. This book relies solely on Pat People. This works by creating authenticity and character.   However this was an uncomfortable read because it made me question about how I viewed mentally ill patients. The film doesn't do the book justice not by a long stretch. This is fiction at its best. The film is loosely based around the book, I say loosely because so many elements are skipped or missed out. I hated so many things about the film that I'm glad I read the book beforehand. I would advice everyone to read Silver Linings Playbook before watching the film.