The Silver Linings Playbook

The Book

Having watched the trailer for the film adaptation of Silver Linings, I was anticipating a quirky sort of rom-com drama featuring someone suffering from a mental health issue. I have yet to see if that is what the film is like, but the book is more than that. Yes it does have its humorous moments, and thankfully they are not derived from laughing at people with mental health problems, but underneath it has a lot of sadness and heartbreak.
Pat Peoples is released from an institution and goes back to live with his parents. In his thirties, he was married to Nikki, and all he looks forward to is the end of apart time, when they can be reconciled. His dogged determination to be re-united leads him to new friendships and eventually a new beginning.





Throughout the novel, Pat compares his life to a movie. At one point, where he is being blackmailed into training for a dance routine by Tiffany, the author chooses to present the narrative like a montage. I look forward to seeing whether this is used in the film! 
My only turn off in the book was the huge amount of American Football featured. I can see how necessary it was as a means to bring family and friends together, but not being a fan or even understanding the pack mentality of people who follow a team with such passion and cheer on their favourite players, it removed me from the story slightly.
Although from the early outset, you think you know what the outcome of the story is going to be, it still throws in a few twists and turns, finally revealing how Pat came to be in his current state of mind. The final scene is not of silver lining - of sun shining through clouds - but of a heavy blanket of snow, showing how life is about needing someone to help you get through, but its still comforting nonetheless.



Official Silver Linings Playbook website

The Film

Having now seen the film, they have done rather a poor job on bringing the book to life. If Pat Peoples was comparing his life to a movie, then I hope it wasn't this one. Yes, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are charming and provide the necessary spark for the roles provided by the script, but it has been given that Hollywood polish which requires a fairy tale ending and strangely removed a lot of the humour.
The reason for Pat's mental breakdown is given on his first meeting with his doctor and even the trigger song is different! The dance competition is changed to a full blown Come Dancing affair, where they are the lowest scorers - and they are ecstatic about that!
Yes there is a montage used for Pat and Tiffany during their dance practices, but it chooses to focus only on this and not all the other parts of Pat's life, as nothing brings a couple of people together like learning a dance routine.

In fact so much detail is changed, you wonder whether it was deliberate to justify the writer's fee.

This is definitely one where the book wins over the film and if you have seen the film, hopefully you will go on and discover the humour and charm of Matthew Quick's novel.