Wellness by Nathan Hill is a book I kept seeing all over the bookish Internet and had no plans to pick up until a few trusted friends reviewed it highly. I am so glad I set out to read this long look at marriage, family, health, and happiness. 

The writing style is cohesive throughout and also meanders back and forth through differing styles. At times Hill writes traditional prose that is much of what lit fic fans are used to, and at other times he uses a more academic style referencing scientific studies that really adds to the experience as a reader. I love how the academic citations added to the character development and my connection to the story as a nerd who loves psychological research and scientific findings. 

But if that doesn't sound up your street, let me get back to what the bulk of this book is about- happiness with your closest people and with yourself. Jack and Elizabeth meet in the early 1990s in Chicago as it is a hip art scene for young people and they hit it off quickly after a strange start. We follow them in a nonlinear timeline after meeting that reveals much of their inner worlds and their childhoods. 

I was never bored during this long read and I loved what Hill had to say about parenthood, "difficult" children, childhood trauma, and the never ending investments we have to make into ourselves and our relationships to find happiness (and how that can also backfire?). This book had the complexity I wanted around this topic without veering into trite advice and wisdom. There's so much in here that I can't touch on in a succinct review, so I'll stick with highly recommending this for readers of lit fic, family drama, and wellness culture. And that ending, damn it was good.