The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Goodreads Summary:
Meet Pat. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending for him -- the return of his estranged wife Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent time in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pat's now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; he's being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, he's being hunted by Kenny G!

OK, show of hands, how many people didn't know that this was a book before it was a multi-Oscar winning movie? Me, too, until quite recently. When reading, I have a rule guideline that I try to follow: READ THE BOOK BEFORE SEEING THE MOVIE. When I saw the movie, I didn't know it was a book. I didn't know it was a book until four weeks ago when one of my best friends told me that it was one of her favourite books and insisted that I read it ASAP. So, I did. 

I loved how this book is written. It really does sound like someone is telling you a story of their life, complete with some miniscule details that don't really matter to the overall story, which adds to the realism, very unlike "cold" first person narratives that are very aloof and don't mention the little details that make the story endearing. Matthew Quick makes Pat a very likeable person and also a very alienating person at the same time. This book eloquently and heartbreakingly paints an accurate portrait of living with mental illness and methods of coping with different mental illnesses in everday life. What I really liked is that there was no Big Event like there usually is in these sorts of books; the film makes the dance competition that Pat and Tiffany participate in a Big Event, but is a very small event in the book. There is no one Big Event, rather a lot of small events in a big story, which is refreshing to see. It has a very minimized atmosphere.

This book is definitely a character-driven one rather than a plot-driven one. It was a short read, took me maybe a few hours to finish, and I really enjoyed seeing how everything would play out. For comparison, once I finished the novel, I popped in the movie adaptation, and while it is still a good movie on its own, it is not a good ADAPTATION. This was the first book I read on my reading week, and it was such a charming, endearing novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm giving The Silver Linings Playbook a 4.5/5 because I wish I had read the book before seeing the movie. 

Also, P.S. Pat's book "reviews" are the greatest thing ever.