Robert's Reviews > The Silver Linings Playbook

This novel felt like so much more than a debut novel. It felt wonderful and powerful and tinged with emotion, and I walked away from it with a sense of enrichment and fulfillment. Had I not read THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, I’d still be the same person I am now, but I would’ve missed out on this opportunity to forget who I was for a few hours over the course of this character driven tale. Although this story is dark and psychological and filled with regret and anger and frustration, I’d still say I obtained a certain amount of pleasure from this story, mainly because the characters felt lifelike with realistic problems, and I was so enamored with this tale that Pat Peoples could have been my next door neighbor and Tiffany could have lived on the next block over.

And not just because Tiffany and Pat took to the pavement with as much joy as I do, getting a runner’s high with every mile, the endorphins shooting through their veins the same way an IV drip would. And not just because Pat and Jake and Dr. Cliff Patel and Mr. Peoples and the Asian Invasion felt as much love for the Philadelphia Eagles as I do the Pittsburgh Steelers, bouncing on air with every win and feeling every loss like a swift kick to the groin. But because despite Tiffany’s and Pat’s problems, both of them still view life with a certain amount of optimism, and despite their flaws—and let’s face it both of them have a few—they are better people for not being perfect, for recognizing their defects and embracing their differences, and lifting themselves up when they could just as easily show rapid signs of despair. There’s strength and power in recognizing you’re not perfect.

I’d be remiss without mentioning the voice which felt like it was encased in childlike wonder and hope and strength, and I embraced it head-on without sidestepping or looking away or skirting off the dance floor. And I loved the rather unique way this story was told, coupled with the eight letters in the latter half of this tale, so much so that I just had to purchase THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, which as I understand it is told almost entirely, if not entirely, through letters and in some ways has a similar structure and feel.

Had I not heard of the movie, I might not have heard of this novel, and that would have been a tragedy of infinite proportions. There are few better ways to embrace a literary world than with a healthy dose of realism, and this novel explores several of these avenues with a cast of convincing characters.