it brings me NO pleasure to report this, especially as someone who used to google "nathan hill new book" repeatedly, but i didn’t enjoy WELLNESS.

billed as a modern american novel, we follow chicagoans jack & elizabeth as they navigate middle age, marriage, parenthood, and 21st century anxieties large and small. both are inescapably rooted in their past but wondering with trepidation where their lives are headed. what stories are they telling themselves, and how will these beliefs illuminate their path forward?

mark WELLNESS down as yet another Ideas Novel in which hill's preoccupation with certain social issues and desire to interrogate (psuedo)science concepts takes center stage, his characters contoured only to fit his specific conceptual framework. he never develops any interiority; his arms-length tone made me feel like i was observing jack and elizabeth from outside the glass, like lab rats, never able to emotionally connect. the side characters are paper thin, most egregiously jack's sister - someone crucially important to his growth but so flimsy as to be almost nonexistent. others are poorly sketched caricatures that represent various cultural subgroups (nimbys, new age instagram moms, fitness nuts, corporate sellouts, etc) but they're neither believable nor satirically effective.

hill also inserts myriad info dumps that read like nonfiction - rarely informative, primarily dull and clinical. there’s even a long bibliography. i took to skimming these, especially a ridiculous chapter on the facebook algorithm. he clearly has many research interests (the science of wellness, psychology, child development, art, the culture wars, social media, urbanism), and the skeleton of a great character novel (a fading marriage full of doubts and questions but also intimate shared history, the trials of parenthood in the internet age, reflections on (sub)urban life) but in combination, it became unpolished and scattershot.

at ~625 pages, i expected an immersive saga like THE NIX. instead, WELLNESS is thematically overstuffed and emotionally underbaked. i will read hill again, but this is sadly a gigantic miss after 7 years.

Jack and Elizabeth are two college kids, from dysfunctional upbringings, who connect with one another and fall in love. The book takes us through each of their experiences as children, young adults and adulthood. Both are striving to better themselves and trip up along the way as most of us do. This is an in depth, descriptive day in the life of this couple. We read about their struggles as adults and their marriage and being comfortable in their own skin. I enjoyed reading about Chicago in the 1980s & 90s, where I grew up and all the new advances in technology and pop culture.

This is Nathan Hill’s follow up release to The Nix, which is one of my favorite books! The narrator @arifliakos is phenomenal!

When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the '90s, their love feels unlike anything else in the world. Twenty years later, the two find themselves facing the mundane pressures of middle age -- a challenging child, careers that feel far removed from their youthful dreams, pressure to fit in with their neighbors, and, most of all, growing remove from each other. As these pressures mount, Jack and Elizabeth face what once felt impossible: a life without the other.

This was a well-written, deeply textured, and perceptive story, offering original and thought-provoking explorations of marriage, the long reach of childhood, and how social media impacts even the most unlikely relationships. This is a book you will be thinking about long after you finish it.

Highly recommended!

It's been seven years since Nathan Hill's debut novel, "The Nix", and it's now easy to imagine that it has taken all of that time to write this new 624-page book. Written with his typical sardonic wit, the author truly inhabits the lives of his characters as he dissects their marriage and their lives.

In 1993, Jack is a photographic art student who comes to Chicago from a farming family in Kansas. He meets and falls in love with Elizabeth, a science, psychology, economics, and theatre major from a rich family in New England. They come from very different backgrounds, but are both seeking freedom "from their pasts, their families, and their mislaid childhoods".

The narrative navigates through the chapters of Jack and Elizabeth's lives and the evolution of their marriage where, by 2014, they find themselves in a period of mid-life unhappiness. They try to figure out how they fit together economically, educationally, sexually, and socially. The story seems to revolve around an excessive amount of overthinking, while poking fun at home gyms, health trackers, diets, supplements, sexual experimentation, fitness gurus and the internet in general.

We also learn a lot about Elizabeth's ancestors and their wild money-making pyramid schemes with lumbar, textiles, and metals through the years. Then, it's Elizabeth's work, within Wellness research and with the use of placebos to treat multiple disorders and dupe customers with real problems, that takes center stage.

Unfortunately, at about halfway through this lengthy telling, it all became a little bit too much for me; too explanatory, too researched, too hypercritical. I began to ask myself if I should just throw in the towel. However, I persevered, but at 70% into the book, when the story went deeply into the analytics and algorithms used to run Facebook, my mind started to wander, and everything began to blur. I started to do what I never do when reading -- I skimmed.

I started reading this book with eager anticipation because I loved Nathan Hill's debut novel, The Nix, and I gave it five stars. In retrospect, I feel that I was probably not the right audience for this newest book and hopefully my review will just be an outlier.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

An absolute masterpiece. Wow, this is the perfect commentary on marriage, our current society, relationships, all of it. It’s nonfiction within fiction. Incredible. Long yes, but worth every page.

Thank you for the ARC!

I have as yet to read his first book, The Nix, but after reading Wellness, I definitely will. Great story, so true to life about how sometimes we take relationships for granted after so many years. Jack and Elizabeth’s story was told in such a way that I hated to put it down. So well written that I could not help but ride the ups and downs with them. Loved this book.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Warning - this novel is VERY long. But it’s also amazing.

Jack Baker grew up in Flint Hills, Kansas. The son of a man who understood fire and the way to burn the prairies and a distant mother. His sister Evelyn, who was many years older, was the one family member he adored. He was a sickly child and always felt like he was a burden to his parents. Especially his mother.

Elizabeth Augustine grew up in a wealthy family, though her family had done many less than ethical things over the years to earn their money. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to escape the expectations of her parents. Even though she wanted for nothing material, she wanted out of that family dynamic as soon as she could get out.

Jack & Elizabeth crossed paths in Chicago, where both had escaped unhappy childhoods to start over. Jack was in art school. Elizabeth studying five majors at university. Their windows were opposite one another, and they’d spy on the other, each hoping that one day they would actually meet.

The one day comes, and it’s as though fate has stepped in. They seem to be the perfect match for each other. From that point forward neither wants for anything ever again. They find their chosen family amongst their friends, and their lives move forward as they had always expected. Until they reach their so-called middle age, and nothing is as it was. Can Jack & Elizabeth find a way back to one another?

I did not read Hill’s first novel, The Nix, but I can imagine it was as amazing as I’ve heard. Wellness flows easily, and even though the novel is long, it is not a difficult read. It is very easy to both love and hate these characters throughout the novel. To question their choices along the way. It is thought provoking.

I tremendously enjoyed this novel. There is so much detail, that I almost feel I could read it again, because maybe I missed something the first time around.

As a huge fan of The Nix, I was excited to read Nathan Hill's newest novel. Like The Nix, this was a long read, so you have to be prepared for that. I love multigenerational and long-spanning stories so this was very up my alley and would recommend to fans of the genre. Like “The most fun we ever had” by Claire Lombardo it is a sweeping novel set in and around Chicago. Hill’s characters will stay with you, especially as they grow up and face challenge and obstacles. The relationship between the two main characters was my favorite part of the novel. If you have the stamina, I highly recommend Wellness.

Jack and Elizabeth are college students living in Chicago when they meet and fall in love. Their connection is immediate, and they're confident they will build a life full of passion and adventure. Twenty years later, their relationship is breaking down. Jack's work as an artist and teacher isn't fulfilling or earning him enough money. Elizabeth's work involves deceit, which she believes is for the common good. The two are at an impasse brought about by purchasing and building a new condo, their "forever home." Nathan Hill explores these characters and their marriage through asides and flashbacks. Readers learn about their families, wounds, ideologies, and regrets. Wellness is an intricately crafted novel that covers a lot of ground, yet the story is ultimately a love story about two misfits who found each other when the time was right. I've not read anyone else who writes like Nathan Hill. This book is a gem. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

I had high hopes for this and maybe this just wasn't for me. Jack and Elizabeth both had horrible upbringings and it was never clear if they shared their pasts with each other. After both watching each other in their apartments they finally meet and Jack feels they are soulmates. Fast forward 20 years and Jack is still an adjunct professor and Elizabeth studies placebos. I felt that just as I was getting involved in the narrative the author would veer off for pages on Toby being a picky eater and what Elizabeth was doing about it, Jack finding porn on the internet and the algorithms Facebook uses and it went on for so long I'd forget what the point was. I liked Jack but Elizabeth not so much. If this could be edited down probably a couple hundred pages I would have really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for providing me with a digital copy.

The Chicago underground art scene was on fire in the 1990's. It's quite the backdrop for Nathan Hill's newest novel, WELLNESS.

We meet a young man and woman who meet by chance across a dark alley. When they finally meet in person sparks fly, hearts pound, and love is in the air. Then they decide to take it to the next level: they get married. Twenty years later these same two lovebirds wonder what happened. Where is the love. Parenting and life itself provide much fodder for division. So... will they stay, or will they go?

Wellness is an extremely thoughtful look at how relationships shape people, and vice versa -- taking a somewhat basic meet-cute of two neighbors staring into each other's windows and then finally meeting into an epic story enveloping their careers, upbringing, fields of study, and atmosphere as their present day arc tracks with suburban striving and the gentrification of the artsy Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Jack and Elizabeth come to Chicago from very different places. He flees modest means rural Kansas in pursuit of an art degree, following very much in his older sister's footsteps. She flees the East coast wealth of 3 generations of opportunists that happened upon and capitalized on every trend from railroads to cotton; while supporting unscrupulous clientele. Each of them was misunderstood and mistreated by their parents, as we see in flashback of increasing intensity and trauma.
They come together and work through the stages from infatuation to domestic complications as they raise their young son as best they can and latch on to various popular psychology fads for relationships, parenting, etc. Most interesting are their careers that spring off from their college experiences. Jack stays in academia, shifting from painting to abstract photographic printing based on the chemicals for developing film rather than actually exposing the lens. Elizabeth heads up the titular Wellness -- a company that ingeniously tests placebo "cures" and the conditions required to get customers in the correct mental state to make them "work."
Wellness is very enlightening about the times we live in and how difficult they are to navigate -- the complexities of professional, familial, financial, and social pressures and the strain they put on a relationship, and how the images we construct of ourselves and the world can reach a breaking point when confronted with reality. As Elizabeth learns from her mentor in placebo studies, you can have certainty or reality but not both because reality defies certainty by being forever in flux. The flashbacks peel back the onion to explain how behaviors and reactions are molded by past experiences that set expectations.
The bibliography at the ends shows how so many of the topics come from real research, from the famous marshmallow test of delayed gratification to the questions that may be most effective to make a first date fall in love with you. When a theory is exposed for being oversimplistic or missing a key variable, what does that mean for those life decisions you made based on it?

Who would have thought it’d be a 600-page clunker that would pull me out of my reading slump? And maybe there’s something there - the ability to really sink into a story, to really become immersed in it all, and to really connect to the characters that pulls you back to the enjoyment of books and reading. I’m gonna keep this potential tip in the back of mind for the next time I’m struggling. It just feels so counterintuitive to me to pick up a BIG book - a real commitment - when it feels like nothing is working, but 🤔🤷🏼‍♀️

While there was a lot of extra information that Hill explored - which was super fun, interesting, and fascinating - it did kind of bog the story down a bit. On the other hand, it’s been a long time since I’ve known characters as deep and close as I got to know Jack and Elizabeth. I rooted for them hard - and wanted to see them come out on top. I was completely invested in their love story.

I also really, really l o v e d the last chapter - like it was pretty darn near perfection for me and sealed a5-star rating for me. In addition, Jack and Elizabeth are a couple I won’t soon forget. I think when I get to December and reflect on my reading for the year, Wellness will still be one of the stories that totally stands out from the rest!

Was drawn in to this book from first pages as the characters fall in love and follow them their relationship their lives.The writing is so beautiful the characters come alive so much to this story their world.I except this to be nominated for many awards.# netgalley #wellness

SO SO GOOD. After I finished Nathan Hill’s new novel,, I actually had to purchase his first novel, the Nix. Love that too. Oh my, Mr Hill is brilliant at capturing time and place and mood, exploring relationships with depth and understanding and just enough mystery to keep things moving. I truly loved this book. I cannot wait to see what Mr Hill does next. He’s now on my list of favorites!

Wellness by Nathan Hill is a richly imagined, well-written story. One of the best I have ever read.
This book was perfection. The writing - smart and thoughtful - pulls you in and keeps you needing more. The characters are so human and deeply flawed you cant help but see a bit of yourself in these characters.
The humor here is top notch and kept me hooked. Along with Hill’s storytelling.
The underlying story is certainly interesting and engaging. This is how literature should be written!
This is just a very well written and highly entertaining work. Beautifully written and very compelling!
Wellness was definitely a five-star rating!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Knopf for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

When I first read Nathan Hill's ovel The Nix it became one of those books that I would tell people they need to read. IIf I was in a bookstore with a friend asking me what they shpuld read next I would always bring them to The Nix. So when I heard he had a new book out called Wellness I was like will it be as good or will be a sophmore slump. It's hard to beat a novel like The Nix. The good news is it's an amazing book about life, relationships, art, family, the intenet and all the other things that are literally the pulse of the world we are living in today. There were passages and pages I would reread because there was so much in them. The internet section was something I'm sure every American is going through. The novel centers around Jack and Elizabeth and their child Toby. It goes back and forth in time showing their lives growing up and the things that affected them in childhood bleeds back into their lives today. It is so masterfully told that I really can't find anything negative to say about it. It's over 600 pages of life lessons. It will definetly be my favorite book of 2o23. I also would put it out there that I really couldnt be friends with someone who didn't like this book! Thank you to #knopf and #netgalley for the ARC. I will be promoting this book like crazy.

Book Review: Wellness, Nathan Hill
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Knopf
Pub Date: 19 Sept 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I predict that literature professors teaching about the 21st century will be adding Wellness to their syllabi. With great heart and keen insight, Nathan Hill taps into the good, the bad and the ugly of modern life.

Jack and Elizabeth Bennett (no not THAT Lizzy Bennett) meet in college and it is love at first sight. Although from very different backgrounds, they just seem to get each other immediately. Both have escaped home and their dysfunctional families. Can they possibly find sanctuary in each other? The story settles in as we witness the ways in which life, work, children, information overload, health fads, the economy, and above all, expectations chip away at the initial luster that made their love shine. But who or what is to blame for this midlife marital crisis and what can possibly save their marriage? The reader will in turns cheer, sigh and groan as Jack and Elizabeth stumble through their lives in hopes of finding each other again.

It is impossible to share the myriad ways Hill reflects on the constant pressures and flood of information that often only leaves one feeling deficient, lonely, exhausted, insecure and hungry for answers. Ultimately, Wellness is a story of a marriage, the burdens of modern life, the stories that define us and the stories we tell ourselves to survive this messy life.

If you are looking for a thick book to sink your teeth into and take your time to savor, Wellness is for you.

Many thanks to the author Nathan Hill, @AAKnopf and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fully engrossing read. I found it quite hard to put the book down and admittedly I binged it. Overall there is a very depressing tone, but that’s how life is sometimes. And at its core this book is just about two lives intertwining and the history that made those two lives as well as the future of the lives themselves.

It’s completely captivating.

2.5 stars rounding up to 3. There were parts of this book that I really liked - Elizabeth and Jack's marriage was portrayed very realistically and I enjoyed all the sections about their relationship. But there was a lot of rambling in the book as well. I really didn't need a whole section on Facebook algorithms or the history of Elizabeth's family. I would have preferred a condensed book solely about Elizabeth and Jack's marriage - at 600+ pages it was just too much. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.