Wellness by Nathan Hill starts with Jack and Elizabeth, living opposite to each other in apartments that overlook. They are fascinated with each other, constantly watching the other. Until they meet one night & we travel forward to the future: married, with an 8 year old kid and slightly stagnant lives.

The book jumps around in timelines, we get snippets of when they first get together, as new parents and the current timeline, as well as glimpses into their childhoods and to some of the families’ history. It’s long, clocking in at 600 pages.

Ultimately it’s a study of the evolution of a relationship, how our backgrounds shape us, whether we think they do or not. One of my issues with this is that it felt like the plots of 2 or 3 books that had been rammed together as one book. Some descriptions felt over blown and laborious, I did not find myself reaching for the book & probably would have DNFd it if it wasn’t the January @tiredmammybookclub book. I only powered through thanks to the audiobook, having failed with the physical & ebook.

The parts I did enjoy I really enjoyed. I particularly liked Elizabeth’s job at Wellness, an institute for studying placebo effect. I loved reading about her family history. I also Jack’s back story. I feel like these plot points could have made interesting books in their own rights.

Overall this seems to be a marmite book: you either love it or hate it. And while I didn’t hate it, I would have loved a lot of this chiseled off, to leave the gem that I think it could have been.

Not for me at all. I had to give up after a few chapters. Have heard others raving about it. Very slow paced and I felt like it wouldn't amount to anything.

Wellness by Nathan Hill

Jack and Elizabeth are middle-aged and in the dip of the curve of marriage according to Elizabeth. We revisit them in their youth when they first met, and at various points inbetween, as well as the present day as they struggle to connect.

Wow, this book is EPIC in all senses of the word! I absolutely loved it and I'm in awe of the writer's ability to produce such an amazing piece of work - a masterpiece! I loved Jack and Elizabeth's story but the book is about so much more than their relationship. The range of topics the author covers in such an incisive and entertaining way is breathtaking. I particularly loved the unravelling and nodded along to the academic-isation of a toddler's eating, but all of them are brilliant. I could go on and on and ON but... very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Wellness is the kind of story I often enjoy - a multi-year spanning look at one couple, as they grow from young strangers to an older, married couple who have lost themselves along the way. There were moments in this that I connected with, and others which felt too drawn out, the minutiae too focused on for me to grasp it wholeheartedly. Well written, but think I would have enjoyed it more a few hundred pages shorter.

Wellness by Nathan Hill

“Jack had gotten an extravagant tattoo that he thought at the time made him unique. And yet, one look around the farmers market right now revealed how many people were equally bold and unique.”

The January pick for the @tiredmammybookclub was this modern marriage saga. Thanks to @panmacmillan for advance ecopy of this book.

I thought this book had some brilliant insights into marriage, medicine, positive vibes, manifesting, parenting. Elizabeth and Jack are two very intriguing characters. We meet them when they first meet as broke students in the 90s, the story quickly skips ahead 20 years. Now in their 40s, Elizabeth is disillusioned with her lot, and Jack isn’t far behind. Careers not going as expected, difficult relationships with their own families and navigating parenthood present some of the challenges explored here.

Risk is a common theme in the book, which I found really interesting. Managing risk as a parent, as a spouse, as an artist. Brandi was also a fantastic villain with her manifesting and general nonsense.

I enjoyed this but found it just too long, with too many tangents. If you like books that take a long look at a marriage, you’ll enjoy this.

I read this book as part of a bookclub, and read about 25% and wondered should I continue forward. At the same time, a number of others in the bookclub were saying the book was dragging and/or that they were abandoning it.
I gave it a break and went back to it - Initially I was then questioning my choice, but I kept going and it was worth it.

This is a long book and the author LOVES a tangent. There is huge detail in some sections, which is what I loved and hated about the book - if it was a tangent on a topic/area you were interested in you were in heaven, if you weren't interested in it, then it was very boring.

At the books heart is the story of a married couple and their boredom in their forties. It is a satisfying journey through their lives. We see how they first met, a story that I adored and was so sad that the book didn't continue on in their early years. We meet them 20 years later, married and parents. We get a good sense of their lives then and the social structure in which they live. And I was satisfied at the ending. I think both had gone through a journey in the book and we were brought on that journey and it makes you think about life in general. Always a good sign of a book I think.

Another fascinating part of the book was the history of the characters. We know early on that they both arrived in Chicago for university trying to escape their backgrounds. It takes time for their backgrounds to emerge and it is given to us at different times - this worked well as I physically read the book, but I know this switching back and forth is something I really struggle with on audio books. When we were brought to the mid 1800's without any context, I did wonder was this a book in a book type novel, but as it became clear, I really enjoyed this section, although I could understand how some people might think it was too much info.

So all in all, this was a great read if a bit too long and some tangents that I did not particularly like, but as character studies of individual people and how we live, I thought it was super. Would be happy to read more from this author, albeit not sure I could wholeheartedly recommend this novel to friends - they'd need to be in the space for a deep dive.

Thank you so much to Pan MacMillan for opportunity to read and review. I read a free copy via @netgalley.

Wellness by Nathan Hill is a well written character study following a couple through many years of their relationship. I found the younger versions of the characters to be pretty insufferable but I enjoyed following their story through the ups and downs of life. This is a very literary story and very slow paced but I found myself really enjoying it.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This story of midlife marriage crisis is readable enough. There were some nice set pieces (particularly of Elizabeth's neurotic parenting).

The satire didn't really work for me, the targets (pop psychology, social media influencers, data-harvesting apps) have been written about many times before. I felt like you do when a work colleague is telling you a really long anecdote and you already know the punchline and your smile becomes increasingly fixed and you fantasise about throwing your swiftly cooling microwaved soup in their face.

I guess that's what happens when you take eight years to write a book, the humour might have been fresh when Hill started writing.

@currentlyreading__
Book 3 of 2024

Thank you to @NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the advanced copy of ‘Wellness’ ahead of publication in the UK a few days on 25th January. This was an epic book at over 600 pages and read like a sociological study of health, wellness, parenting, culture and psychology complete with citations for accuracy. It’s an astute portrayal of the morés of upper-middle class American relationships over the period of a few decades.

Jack and Elizabeth are in their 20s as the novel opens; living in Chicago and escaping their respectively difficult families. They live opposite and become magnetically drawn to each other. We move from the inception of their relationship, marriage, parenthood and the microscopic elements of their daily navigations through life.

I am intrigued by the idea that this has already been chosen by Oprah for her book club and can imagine this being made for TV in a stylish Apple TV production. I am certainly interested to see how it’s received by a UK audience.


#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #instabook #reader #bookobsessed #bookstagramuk #wellness

I had not read the author before, although he was on my radar as I had read very good reviews of his previous work The Nix. So, I went into this story blind and it turned out to be very satisfying.
The beginning couldn't have been more idyllic and had me immersed in the plot one hundred percent. It was a bit anticlimactic when, in the next chapter, we find ourselves 20 years later, with the couple during a mid-life crisis. Nevertheless, the interest only increased so that the 624 pages flew by.
This book is not only about the aforementioned mid-life crisis, but it also deals with diverse and topical issues such as real estate, social networks, the wellness industry, parenting, etc. in such a way that, in one way or another, you end up identifying with it.
Only one negative point in my opinion, and that is that some additional stories, such as the condensed milk story, although not uninteresting, can take you away from the heart of the story. I suppose this depends on what kind of reader you are.
Elizabeth and Jack stay with me, as they are flawed characters, which makes them very real. The final chapter is simply great.
No había leído con anterioridad al autor, aunque lo tenía en el radar pues había leído muy buenas críticas de su anterior obra The Nix. Por lo tanto entré a ciegas a esta historia y resultó ser muy satisfactoria.
El comienzo no pudo ser más idílico e hizo que me sumergiera en la trama cien por cien. Resultó un poco anticlimático cuando, en el siguiente capitulo, nos encontramos 20 años después, con la pareja en plena crisis de la mediana edad. No obstante, el interés no hizo sino aumentar de tal forma que las 624 páginas volaron.
Este libro trata no solo sobre la anteriormente mencionada crisis de la mediana edad, sino que aborda temas diversos y de gran actualidad como pueden ser el tema inmobiliario, las redes sociales, la industria del bienestar, la crianza de los hijos, etc de tal forma que ,de una forma u otra, terminas sintiéndote identificado.
Solo un punto negativo bajo mi punto de vista, y es que algunas historias adicionales, como la de la leche condensada, a pesar de no carecer de interés, pueden alejarte del meollo de la historia. Supongo que esto dependerá del tipo de lector que eres.
Elizabeth y Jack se quedan conmigo, pues son personajes imperfectos, que los hace muy reales. El capítulo final simplemente redondo.

Wellness is the love story of Jack and Elizabeth from their college years in the 90s. Jack is now a professor, and Elizabeth is a scientist. They’re in many ways your regular long married working couple with a family, just trying to get through the week!!
A long read but a worthwhile one with some humour sprinkled on top.

An exquisitely breathtaking, satirical, and exhilarating state of our times novel from Nathan Hill that is remarkable in how much it resonates. It is incredible just how deep, expansive, detailed, amd informative it is. I found it to be thought provoking, moving and gripping it, captivating and enthralling me from beginning to end. Many modern fads, aspects of social media, fitness tracking, and the 'wellness' industry are astutely observed and beautifully skewered, outlining their impact on our mental health. It casts a blistering, witty, smart, and insightful eye on love, marriage, and family, through a contemporary 1990s Chicago couple, Jack, a photograper, and Elizabeth, a scientist. However, sustaining a modern marriage through the years, and the inevitable changes that come, is not always easy.

They meet and bond, a relationship that illustrates the initial excitement, to where 20 years later, exhibiting the signs of growing apart, the strain and distance that marks their mid-life crisis and marriage. The narrative goes back and forth in time, shining a light on a past that have shaped the distinctly different identities of Jack, his anxiety, trauma and insecurity, and Elizabeth, with her fascinating relationship with her father and her family's ill gotten gains. We see their experience of being parents and being a family, and of not always getting it right. There is polyamoury, health scams, placebos, and the factors that lie behind the growth of conspiracy theories. The level of details included may not appeal to some readers, such as how social media algorithms work.

I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Hill planning and pulling together the varied strands in his storytelling, the sheer scope of it all, such as what it is to be human, psychology, art, living life, relationships, time, and belief, yet there is light amidst the madness and darkness. He has a real gift when it comes to the creation and development of his unforgettable characters. There is a humour that delights along with heartbreak in this profoundly emotive and engaging read, although I admit it does meander on occasion, and please do not be put off by its length, the pages simply fly by. I have no doubt this wonderful novel will be successful, personally I cannot recommend it highly enough to all readers! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Wellness is a behemoth read, but the central premise is simple: a love story - marriage and family and what that means in a messy modern world.

Jack and Elizabeth are both running away from unhappy, dysfunctional, yet very different childhoods towards a new and exciting life in 90’s Chicago.

Both are trying to find themselves, or more accurately, portray an image they feel is socially appropriate in their inner-city environment. At the same time, they forge ahead in their new lives amidst an array of emerging “new fangled” lifestyles and technologies.

Jack Baker, newly arrived from Kansas, is a talented photographer. Elizabeth Augustine is a quadruple major at DePaul. They initially live opposite each other, in facing apartments, and they watch each other, all the while falling in ‘love‘ yet believing they’re not good enough for the other. Still, one night, the inevitable happens, and the rest, as they say, is history.

But now, after some twenty years together, they are feeling adrift from each other, verging on the quintessential midlife crisis and silently questioning everything they ever thought they knew for sure about love and family life.

They have a young son, are still renting and are not anywhere near where they’d hoped to be with their careers at this time of their lives. Jack has fallen into fixed contract employment teaching photography at a university, and Elizabeth runs a wellness clinic. They’re frustrated. They’re circling each other with their initial spark fading. Yet, all the time, they’re searching to ‘be better’ for themselves, for each other and yes, for that image they want to portray to the world around them.

Wellness is a slow-building but intense read that will resonate with many. I laughed, cried, and wanted to scream at both these people to cop on.

I’ll be candid: when I started into this read, I struggled; it seemed drawn out and a slog, but once I got to know these characters, I didn’t want leave the book down.

I loved the deep dives into so many elements of contemporary society - art, psychology, diet culture, friendships, parenting, social media, and so much more.
4⭐

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy; as always, this is an honest review.

Reads like a psychological, deep dive, character study of an American couple's long relationship over 600 pages.
So many issues, topics & interests, twists & subplots. Was like listening to a commentary of a complex long marriage, sometimes was too depressing, maybe me, not understanding a different culture.

Wellness
Nathan Hill

Firstly, full disclosure I loved The Nix which came out around 7 years ago. And I went into Wellness completely blind, not even having read any reviews. There are circa 15 pages of studies, articles and references at the end of this new novel covering topics such as psychology, philosophy, biology, economics and relationship science - which will give you a flavour of this biblical undertaking from Mr Hill.
BUT do not be put off by this, dear reader, because this is a story simply put about marriage and family and what that means today in a messy modern world.

This story is about Jack and Elizabeth, who are both running away from unhappy childhoods towards a new and exciting life in in 90's Chicago. Both, looking to recreate / find themselves and forge new lives against a backdrop of emerging "new fangled" life styles and technologies.

But now, after some twenty years together they are feeling adrift from each other, hitting the quintessential midlife crisis and silently questioning everything they ever thought they knew for sure about love, the truth and what it means to be a modern family in an ever more dysfunctional world.

This is a beautiful book, witty, whipsmart and moved me to tears at the end.

Ok, granted it's a mammoth read at over 600 pages and there are what seem to be unconnected and self indulgent tangents aplenty... but this is a masterpiece and if you are willing to invest your time you won't regret it when all the loose strings start to pull together into a beautiful bright ribbon bow 🎀!

This book is a fun and thoughtful book, poking fun at various more modern phenomena (influencer culture, the wellness industry, biohacking) and yet manages to avoid being cliched and expected. Instead, a deeper examination of the dangers of the isolation(ism) brought on by those things is reflected in the core relationship at the heart of this book- a couple who seem to understand each other less and less, even whilst they 'understand' the minutiae of their health and biology more than ever.

It was both a lot of fun but also a heartfelt novel examining the various ways we should not lose our human-ness, and humanity.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read: an astute, laugh-out-loud novel that reminded me of Franzen’s work. If you are over 40, you may find that Hill’s observations are so painfully close to the mark they make you splutter with laughter into your oat milk latte.

Jack and Elizabeth met in their early twenties with all the hopes and hang ups that this time in our life brings. Now they are experiencing the stresses of mid-life. They have a young son, are still renting, and despite having relatively stable jobs, they have had to make compromises, and are not where they’d hoped to be with their careers at this time of their lives. Jack has fallen into fixed contract employment teaching photography at a university and Elizabeth runs a wellness clinic, uneasily aware that pragmatism has trumped her scientific principles. Their relationship has become a parenting partnership, a premise that is well examined in literature, but Hill writes about it with cutting humour, placing the couple in increasingly awkward situations and dilemmas. The question central to the novel is how a marriage can survive inevitable changes in our beliefs, as the morés of our society and culture evolve.

Some of the novel’s funniest sections are set pieces about Jack’s employer, the university, which has aggressively adopted a business perspective. Its torturously complex mission statement has had so much input from so many people that the English department staged a walk out in protest at the state of its grammar. It begins to rank its academics by the amount of online engagement they garner, a policy that proves to be a mixed blessing for Jack.

I will be recommending this to so many people. A fantastic read.

An absolutely amazing masterpiece of a novel. You really follow the characters through their life and see how they grapple with very relatable issues within their relationship and life. I think a very poignant description of a life lived, showing how everyone lives with themselves in the end of the day and how we are affected tremendously out upbringing and background.

There may be more talented writers in the world than Nathan Hill, but I'm not sure I've come across any. His debut, The Nix is one of my all-time favourite novels and I was overjoyed to hear a second novel was on the way.

So, what to make of Wellness? Well, it's a hugely impressive novel. The story focuses on the lifecycle of the marriage of Elizabeth and Jack, with diversions into critiques of the modern world. Hill is able to dissect the human psyche with scalpel-like precision, and really provoke you into considering the fundamental truths of life and society.

There's also so damn much to learn from this novel. By the end of it, I felt like I was more knowledgeable about several subjects and actually just a little...wiser. The massive amount of research Hill has put in leaps from the pages. And whilst I thought the dissection of Facebook was rather long, it was genuinely illuminating, and has be considering whether to delete my account.

So, why only 4 stars? Well, for me, Wellness just didn't quite coalesce into a fluent novel in the way The Nix did. At times, it felt more like a series of vignettes, or even essays. As mentioned earlier, I felt like I was learning a lot, and the majority of the sections were very interesting, but there were a few that I felt went on too long and disrupted the flow of the plot. It almost seemed like Hill was so proud of the research he'd undertaken that he felt he had to put every bit of it on the page.

When the book focuses on the central plot, it is very strong, and there are moments in the book that are deeply moving. But the power of these moments is slightly diluted by the overlong interludes. And perhaps as a result, the two main characters don't quite resonate in the way the leads in The Nix did.

However, I would urge everyone to read this book. It's scope and ambition are second-to-none, and it will more than likely be my book of the year, even though it's just fallen just short of a five star rating.

I finished this two days before the ToB longlist was published and hoped it would be on there.

It‘s a difficult book to review as it‘s so intense ( but fabulous); we follow Jack and Elizabeth as they first meet, and then look back to different parts of their lives and their (dysfunctional) childhoods. You‘ll recognise yourself in areas of this book, as well as your own relationships.

I liked the detailed offshoots about culture, psychology, art and much more, apart from one that lost / bored me a little bit. (Algorithms!)

This will be one of my favourite books of 2023, I think.