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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
As I reflect about the experience of devouring this book over the last few days, I am convinced that my experience of reading this would have been different five years ago and it will be different five years from now.
This story is about a couple who met in their 20s and have spent a consider amount of their life with each other, becoming, and unbecoming different versions of themselves along the way (This resonated because my partner and I recently completed a decade of togetherness). At the start of it, the 600 pages of different stages of their life and relationship may not seem enticing. However, the writing style is deeply personal and the author crafted both the characters bit by bit with extreme care and precision. While the core plot revolves around their marriage, the threads of psychology, and art rooted in Chicago and the Prairies made it a very wholesome experience to imagine the geographical context. This was important because who we are is so much driven by where and who we come from. There were almost no loose ends in the plot which made for a very pleasurable reading experience because after reading a bunch of thrillers this year, my brain is now wired to sniff out the plot irregularities faster. Another thing I loved about the book was how honest it felt. At so many times, it seemed like the author was in the same room and experienced life in the same way as them. The non-linear narration as well as unpredictability over which layer of their personalities will reveal next kept it exciting through the end. The author did a LOT of research which shows in the 8 page bibliography at the end.
Personally, the notion of what is love and what does it take to fall and then stay in love as we float through life’s waves was fascinating. The desire for newness, adventure, mystery etc. that often arises after the new relationship energy is depleted provoked reflections on how things have changed in my relationship over the past decade, what led to them and how I perceived/accepted those changes. I don’t prefer to read love stories but this one was different, without all the fluff, with characters that seemed very real.
Lastly, this story normalises human brokenness. We seek people who aren’t afraid to be around our broken and sharp edges. What unfolds over the course of time is how we discover and eventually accept that brokenness through love and commitment.
Curious to pick this up again in 5-7 years and reflect on the emotions it brings up.
This story is about a couple who met in their 20s and have spent a consider amount of their life with each other, becoming, and unbecoming different versions of themselves along the way (This resonated because my partner and I recently completed a decade of togetherness). At the start of it, the 600 pages of different stages of their life and relationship may not seem enticing. However, the writing style is deeply personal and the author crafted both the characters bit by bit with extreme care and precision. While the core plot revolves around their marriage, the threads of psychology, and art rooted in Chicago and the Prairies made it a very wholesome experience to imagine the geographical context. This was important because who we are is so much driven by where and who we come from. There were almost no loose ends in the plot which made for a very pleasurable reading experience because after reading a bunch of thrillers this year, my brain is now wired to sniff out the plot irregularities faster. Another thing I loved about the book was how honest it felt. At so many times, it seemed like the author was in the same room and experienced life in the same way as them. The non-linear narration as well as unpredictability over which layer of their personalities will reveal next kept it exciting through the end. The author did a LOT of research which shows in the 8 page bibliography at the end.
Personally, the notion of what is love and what does it take to fall and then stay in love as we float through life’s waves was fascinating. The desire for newness, adventure, mystery etc. that often arises after the new relationship energy is depleted provoked reflections on how things have changed in my relationship over the past decade, what led to them and how I perceived/accepted those changes. I don’t prefer to read love stories but this one was different, without all the fluff, with characters that seemed very real.
Lastly, this story normalises human brokenness. We seek people who aren’t afraid to be around our broken and sharp edges. What unfolds over the course of time is how we discover and eventually accept that brokenness through love and commitment.
Curious to pick this up again in 5-7 years and reflect on the emotions it brings up.
slow-paced
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
I loved the Woody Allenesque writing on the first three quarters of the book. Hill is a sharp observer of human foibles and a terrific knack for writing dialogue. The end is still captivating, but I wasn’t completely sold on the conclusions the main characters reached. At end rate I thought the last chapter was fitting conclusion, and after this and the Nix I’m willing to follow Hill wherever he goes next.
Odd book, really takes you on a stylistic journey (The Unraveling having its own bibliography section! The algorithms! Elizabeth's family history!). The start was so painful to me, and I genuinely couldn't determine if this was facetiously dystopian or legitimately just how people live in modern times.
Once the reader started getting more backstory and the themes started developing, though, it caught my interest again. The commentary ended up being deeper than I expected, and I appreciated that a lot of ideas re: modern life were pretty original. To me, at least. Like, it was refreshing encountering new interpretations of some of the parts of life that are so new that society doesn't really fully understand the full array of side effects and repercussions, like data collection of wearables.
Also enjoyed the range of modern topics that explored how human behavior has been shaped in the recent past and present (algorithms, placebos, psychological phenomena like love, wellness culture, eT cetera).
As far as contemporary fiction goes, Wellness seemed to give me a lot more to chew on than average, though some of the themes still leaned a bit basic (like, ok, sucks to have bad parents. But this was almost an exaggeration!). There were a ton of them, so pull from it what suits you, I suppose.
To remember:
Both Jack and Elizabeth's experiences along these lines:
Once the reader started getting more backstory and the themes started developing, though, it caught my interest again. The commentary ended up being deeper than I expected, and I appreciated that a lot of ideas re: modern life were pretty original. To me, at least. Like, it was refreshing encountering new interpretations of some of the parts of life that are so new that society doesn't really fully understand the full array of side effects and repercussions, like data collection of wearables.
Also enjoyed the range of modern topics that explored how human behavior has been shaped in the recent past and present (algorithms, placebos, psychological phenomena like love, wellness culture, eT cetera).
As far as contemporary fiction goes, Wellness seemed to give me a lot more to chew on than average, though some of the themes still leaned a bit basic (like, ok, sucks to have bad parents. But this was almost an exaggeration!). There were a ton of them, so pull from it what suits you, I suppose.
To remember:
Both Jack and Elizabeth's experiences along these lines:
That people were so easily persuaded and deluded made her occasionally feel sorry for these people, and also a little contemptuous of them, that they'd sacrifice truth for a story only because the story made them feel good.
Jack's interpretation when he realized one's self adjusts through life:
He could not count on any of them to be consistently themselves. And this saddened him.
I'm not sure if I agree with Jack:
...but it just feels so good, revenge. It's the only kind of cruelty that can make you feel like a bigger and better person for inflicting it.
Perhaps punishment is even further along these lines...
When asked why city folk would love to purchase authentic reclaimed barn wood from America's heartland:
When asked why city folk would love to purchase authentic reclaimed barn wood from America's heartland:
Jack suddenly wondered what a place like Wicker Park would look like from this vantage... and he decided that his home in Chicago would look insatiable. It would look like a place that plundered all the world's money and capital and jobs and people while places like Flint Hill were catastrophically emptied.
The Bean scene, made especially poignant by the fact I too had gazed at my distorted reflection in it just weeks earlier, and Sanborne's theory on people planting themselves in a spot without moving to try to gain certainty and security:
You could say that certainty is the flip side of pain--its what pain looks like reflected off the fun house mirror. When I see people express their loud inflexible certainty about some political thing, what I believe they are actually saying is I am in great pain, and nobody is paying attention.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the first few chapters dragged a lot and were grating
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes