Hennepin County Library audiobook 6 discs
read by Ray Porter
genre: realistic fiction
Though there were plenty of F-bombs, this book really drew me in. I had seen some of the promos for the movie, but wasn't really sure what it was about other than mental illness. Pat Peoples is the main character. The story opens with his mother getting him out of "the bad place" - a psych hospital where he's been in lockup. He thinks he's been there for months, but it has actually been years (three? five?).
"During his years in a mental health facility, Pat Peoples has formulated a theory about silver linings. He believes that his life is a movie produced by God, that his mission is to become physically fit and emotionally supportive, and that if he succeeds, his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. But when he goes to live with his parents, everything seems off."
From my jotted car notes:
- Kenny G music - though it makes perfect sense by the end of the book, every time his aversion to this came up, it made me giggle. Who could have such a strong aversion to smooth jazz? "I fear him more than any other human being."
- Repetition - it was interesting how often the author used repetition to emphasize something. I almost thought the CD was skipping at first, with a sentence that I'd just heard a short while earlier repeated verbatim. It was purposeful, though. At times, it seemed as though Pat was younger or more stupid than I'd expected. Not sure if it was Quick's writing style or Porter's vocal work, but I wondered if he'd had electroshock therapy and his brains were scrambled (more than just the mental illness).
- Mom - I loved the mom character and her love for her son.
- The Eagles chant - wow. Talk about rabid fans. I had to look this up because it was such a huge theme in the book.
- I would love to see this movie . . . especially Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany
