Wellness

By: Nathan Hill

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

'American storytelling at its era-spanning best . . . An immersive, multi-layered portrait of a marriage, Nathan Hill’s follow-up to The Nix is a work of quiet genius.' – The Observer

'The incredible scope of this dazzlingly detailed state-of-the-nation satire almost defies description . . . Brilliant doesn’t begin to describe it, but I’ll say it anyway.' – Daily Mail

'I doubt I'll enjoy many books this year as much as Wellness.' – The Times

An Oprah's Book Club Pick.

A powerfully affecting novel about how we change, grow and age, Wellness is a story of marriage, middle age, our tech-obsessed health culture, and the bonds that keep people together.

When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the 90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago’s thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other.

Moving from the gritty 90s Chicago art scene to a suburbia of detox diets and home renovation hysteria, Wellness mines the absurdities of modern technology and modern love to reveal profound, startling truths about intimacy and connection. In this follow-up to Nathan Hill’s electric debut The Nix, Wellness reimagines the love story with healthy doses of insight, irony and heart.

©2023 Nathan Hill (P)2023 Penguin Random House

Critic reviews

'This brilliant novel will leave you thinking about the truth of your own life and the stories we tell ourselves and each other.' – Oprah Winfrey

'A hilarious and moving exploration of a modern marriage that astounds in its breadth and intimacy.' – Brit Bennett, author of The Mothers and The Vanishing Half

'Nathan Hill is a maestro . . . the best new writer of fiction in America – the best' – John Irving

The story and the writing

I Thoroughly enjoyed the storyline. Well written and thought provoking. Would have enjoyed different narrators.

Astute observations of the complexity of daily loving

Nathan Hill has nailed the art of describing the complexity of love and wellness and contentment and what it means to live in relation to others. I can't stop thinking about this book and am already planning a reread.

Great writing, excellent narration

Another outstanding book - every bit as good as the Nix. Tragic yet hopeful and always entertaining.

Brilliant

It's been a long time since I've been this blown away by a novel. So good.

Brave topic, moments of dwelling on the boring parts

Let’s start with the good parts. I enjoyed the narration, The performance was just really good. Very brave topic to tackle, the monotony and boredom that can occur in marriage around middle age (late 30’s, 40’s). Enjoyed the angle of unpacking the main character’s background to expose who they are today and the big things they are questioning.
BUT, the book didn’t have to be this long to tell the story. There’s a couple of wasted hours zooming in on Jack’s father and his obsession with Facebook and the algorithm. Few other similar moments they didn’t need to dwell on that much.
As such. It was just ok for me.