I spent much of 2023 reading novellas, immersing myself in compelling stories across a single day. Such glorious brevity did not await me with Nathan Hill’s second novel, Wellness, which runs to more than 600 pages (including bibliography). Still, just as one might wake in the morning wanting only a light snack, there are days when a Full Irish – or in this case, a Full American – is called for, and that’s what Hill serves – along with a breadbasket, pastries and a selection of muffins.
The novel opens in highly romantic fashion. It’s Chicago in the early 1990s, and Jack and Elizabeth live in neighbouring apartment buildings, where they spy on each other, developing crushes that are finally rewarded when they cross paths in a dive bar. Jack, an aspiring photographer, introduces himself by holding out his hand and saying, “Come with”, a phrase used to magnificent effect later on.
Theirs is a credible love at first sight but, 20 years later, bored by their jobs and planning a move into a new apartment building that is taking longer to construct than the Sagrada Família, passion has gone out the window. Jack would like to reignite their physical spark but Elizabeth requests separate bedrooms in their new home, preferring the undemanding nature of battery-operated devices. Hill walks a tightrope here, running the risk of recreating the age-old trope of male novelist writing about a kind, thoughtful husband and a selfish, shrewish wife but, somehow, he manages to maintain his balance.
Telling the story in a nonlinear fashion adds valuable layers to the novel. In the first half, I wondered why we did not learn more about their families and why “they are both in Chicago to become orphans”, but the reasons become clear later on when a family member mentioned only fleetingly in earlier sections becomes crucial to the narrative.
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Hill’s central metaphor, however, is built around the careers his characters pursue or, perhaps, endure. Jack was once considered “the most exciting new artist in Chicago”, although the show that brings him glory in his youth is revealed to be built on an utterly hilarious lie, and since then, his spirit has been slowly crushed teaching photography in an untenured position.
The regular slips between time periods help to build our understanding of the pair, and for a long novel it’s very readable
Elizabeth feels equally unfulfilled. Studying the effects of placebos on patients who present with everything from sore knees to unhappy marriages, she doles out sugar-filled capsules to her unwitting stooges, collecting data on how emotional and physical lives can be improved if her subjects simply believe they’re being helped. The exploration of medical ethics here is interesting and provocative.
Perhaps it’s the fact that they both trade in nothingness that has led this once creative couple to such discontent. They’re loath to admit it, but arguing over whether their kitchen cabinets should be open or closed represents a symbol of what they have become, and what they have failed to become.
The regular slips between time periods help to build our understanding of the pair, and for a long novel it’s very readable. That said, there are occasional protracted sections that could have been jettisoned. Do we need to learn about multiple generations of Elizabeth’s family history, only small parts of which are important to the plot? Or about the algorithms that control Facebook which, intriguing as they are, feel self-indulgent? Some more judicious editing could have tightened the book considerably, providing a more satisfying reading experience.
That said, Hill is one of the more engaging new writers of recent years. His debut novel, The Nix, featuring another teacher facing an existential crisis, was outstanding. As a fellow John Irving fan, I recognise the influence of the great American writer on his work, and a section of Wellness where Jack and Elizabeth visit a swingers’ club is a highlight that would not feel out of place in any of Irving’s books.
Wellness is a novel to lose yourself in. The characters are authentic and interesting, the set-pieces exhilarating, and the reader cares about whether Jack and Elizabeth will be able to fulfil the potential of their early romantic promise. Had there not been quite so many diversions along the way, it could have been a masterpiece. As it is, it’s a second advertisement for the skills of a hugely entertaining voice in American fiction. The world according to Hill will, I suspect, become ever more interesting in the decades to come.
