Question and reflect.. don't just accept

This week, we're diving into Wellness by Nathan Hill, an exploration into the world of self-improvement and personal disarray. After reading an intriguing rave review, I picked up this book in March, keen to see if it would live up to the hype. My friend Alice, who usually shares my taste in books, didn’t quite catch the charm of this one, but as for me? I was completely taken. Let me (attempt) to explain…

If you’ve enjoyed Sally Rooney’s Normal People, or her ability to capture the nuances of human relationships, then Wellness might just resonate with you too. Set in 2015 middle-class America, the story centres around Jack and Elizabeth, a couple in the throes of mid-marriage malaise (such a good word, right?!). Jack, a photographer and adjunct professor, and Elizabeth, who runs a company called Wellness, navigate the trials and tribulations of modern life—from parenting their socially struggling son Toby, to dealing with financial burdens and their own personal and marital crises.

Elizabeth’s venture, originally aimed at debunking health myths, has morphed into a business selling placebos designed to manufacture happiness. The irony of her enterprise is not lost on us as we see the couple's own happiness unravel. Meanwhile, Jack's academic life is tangled in absurdity as his pay becomes dependent on his social media clout.

Hill’s narrative is a sharp, satirical gaze at the shortcomings of contemporary life, where self-help gurus and online personas dominate the cultural landscape. The book’s strength lies in its rich character development and the meticulous backstories that Hill crafts. From their college days in Chicago to their present turmoil, Jack and Elizabeth’s journey unfolds with sincerity and depth.

Wellness is largely satirical with threads of modern absurdities—social media obsessions, the fetishisation of productivity, and the paradoxes of "wellness" culture. I love books like this that hold up a mirror to our lives and have us questioning the absurdity of things that have become so ‘normal.’ Hill’s characters are profoundly human, struggling with universal dilemmas of love, ambition, and identity. It was all very relatable!

Like with most books that I enjoy largely for character development such as this one, the shifts between past and present is done really well. Although this book is pretty hefty at just over 600 pages, I flew through it, and couldn’t put it down. The characters and the way it is written really hooked me.  

What I enjoyed most about this book was its almost philosophical undertone, expressed beautifully when Dr. Otto Sanborne advises, “Believe compassionately. Believe with curiosity. Believe with humility. And don’t trust the arrogance of certainty.” This is probably the key message of this book - question and reflect rather than accept.

Would love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it, or if you’re planning to, because life is too short to read bad books.