The Silver Linings Playbook

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick is an honest look at life. The narrator, Pat Peoples, views life as if it were a movie, and believes that if he makes the proper adjustments to his life, he will win his estranged wife back, earning a happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, Pat has many struggles to overcome once he is released from a psychiatric hospital to live with his parents. He has trouble remembering key parts of his past, and he must learn to adjust to the world changing around him. But Pat believes in silver linings, and is confident that everything will work out in the end.

“Life is random and fucked-up and arbitrary, until you find someone who can make sense of it all for you— if only temporarily.”
-Matthew Quick, The Silver Linings Playbook

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were vivid and personable. The first-person narrative from Pat is both humorous and optimistic, in what would otherwise be a rather depressing story. Pat's insights turn what could've be a downer of a story into an inspiring one. His character is very likable, as is that of Tiffany, the strange girl next door. Tiffany is very obstinate and hard-headed, but also very loving and sensitive behind her hard exterior. The characters are all very real; they have their good traits and bad. As Tiffany once says, "“There will always be a part of me that is dirty and sloppy, but I like that, just like all the other parts of myself.” No one is pure saint, and no one is pure sinner.

I also appreciated how the topic of mental illness is dealt with in this book. Recently released from a psychiatric hospital, Pat has weekly visits to a therapist, must take pills, and adopt coping mechanisms. Mental illness is not romanticized or demonized but simply shown for what it is--a disorder that some people must struggle with. Pat's illness becomes most apparent during his aggressive outbursts, which he always regrets afterwards. The book also brings attention to how some people are insensitive to mental illnesses, making jokes about them. These people don't even realize how deeply these "jokes" trouble Pat. After reading The Silver Linings Playbook, one may walk away with a deeper understanding of mental illnesses and how they can affect people.

This book does not have a Hollywood ending, but that's partly why I like it. There's no big finale where all the pieces fall in place, but the book ends with uncertainty, peace, and hope for a better tomorrow.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane reminded me of a reoccurring nightmare I had as a child, but in a wonderful way. Neil Gaiman's book is full of shadowy creatures, drudged up from fears we thought we left behind as adolescents, brought back to life in the pages. The whole story has the misty air of a lost memory around it; if someone told me parts of the book were based on my own childhood, I might believe them.

"I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled."
-Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

One reason that it may be so easy to insert yourself into the book is because the narrator remains unnamed. Honestly, I didn't even notice that the narrator was nameless until I sat down to write this review. This literary style can often come across as unnecessary and confusing, but for The Ocean at the End of the Lane, it works.

The story begins with the narrator traveling to his childhood home, where he recalls the magical events of his childhood. His neighbors, the three Hempstock women, are not what they seem to be, and the young narrator quickly became entangled in their world, which can be both dark and beautiful. The villainous Ursula Monkton is reminiscent of the Other Mother from Gaiman's YA novel, Coraline, and is just as terrifying with her manipulative and other-worldly nature. This timeless being shows us that the monsters from our childhood can be just as frightening in our adulthood; maybe we never really stopped being afraid, for "Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world." Our childhood selves still exist inside of us, along with their childhood wishes and fears.

The characters in this story are brilliant. The Hempstocks in particular. Amid the chilling nightmarish scenes, the Hempstock women stand as pillars of comfort and safety. The supernatural seems natural, as if it is just resting below the surface, with the Hempstocks. The glimpses we receive into the Hempstock's world is breathtaking as well, and convince us that anything is possible if we just try a little harder, reach a little farther.

Gaiman delivers a hauntingly beautiful tale with The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It will stick with you long after you turn the last page, in part because it has always been with you.

The Giver

Lois Lowry's classic young adult novel, The Giver, is coming to theaters as a motion picture next month. Though many of my friends recalled reading the book during their high school years, I never did, and decided that now would be a good time to do so.

"The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared."
-Lois Lowry, The Giver

While the book is aimed toward the young adult audience, the story can be enjoyed by adults as well. Though the writing style is simple, the concept is certainly interesting; a futuristic world of controlled conformity. Everyone's life is planned out for them from beginning to end. As a baby, the citizen is assigned to parents. At the age of twelve, the citizen is assigned a career. If they want a partner, then a marriage will be arranged. Citizens do not have the freedom of choosing, but they all seem happy with the lives assigned to them. The story focuses on a young boy named Jonas, who is selected for an unusual fate--to be the Receiver of Memory. As the he begins reliving memories from past civilizations where things like love and pain existed, Jonas begins questioning the methods of his community.

What I liked best about The Giver was the complexity of the futuristic civilization, described as “The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without colour, pain or past.”  From the start, the reader knows there is something strange about this society. The community is ruled by a Big Brother type figure, watching the citizens' every move. But at least Big Brother wants whats best for his people, right?  The society becomes more and more chillingly horrifying as the pages are turned.

The concepts of choices and freedom are explored in The Giver. Is it better to live in a hectic world where you make your own choices and may be hurt, or in a world where you will be content and safe with your life planned out for you? Would you rather never experience true pleasure if it meant you would also never experience pain?

The Giver shows the beauty and importance found in every life and memory.