I can't really fault this book, but it did lack a certain amount of substance that I can't really quantify, so it gets 4 stars rather than 5. I knew nothing of the story when I picked this book up, and had only the movie poster in my mind, so expected some sort of complicated love story that would bore me within a couple of chapters. I was wrong. It's a nicely written account of Pat, a 34 year old suffering with mental illness, complex relationships with friends and family, and coming to terms with the reality of a world that's moved on during his time in an institution.Funny and sad in equal measures, I really did enjoy reading Silver Linings, and being a relatively short story got through it in just a couple of sittings. And, for the first time, I'm not going to watch the accompanying movie adaptation, because I really don't think I'll like it. Anything other than experiencing the story from Pat's point of view, I think, will actually turn it into one of those complex romance films that I work so hard to avoid. Maybe I'm wrong? Am I?
