Registration for this event is free but required to attend. Register here!

"It's near impossible to summarize Nathan Hill’s dazzling second novel Wellness, but here’s my attempt: Jack and Elizabeth fall in love at first sight in 1990s Wicker Park, right as white artistic youngsters begin invading the Chicago neighborhood. Decades later, Jack is a stalled-if-not-failing artist. Elizabeth studies placebos using kinda-shady methods. Their son Toby plays a lot of Minecraft and has a lot of tantrums. In depicting this family, Hill spins an incredibly ambitious (and funny!) exploration of truth, gentrification, love, real estate, art, and the stories we tell ourselves. Hill has somehow topped himself; this is an unforgettable novel."

—Raven Bookseller and Co-Owner Danny

Nathan Hill’s best-selling debut novel, The Nix, was named the #1 book of the year by Audible and Entertainment Weekly and one of the year’s best books by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Slate, and many others. We were fortunate to co-host him for the release of The Nix and are thrilled to have him back for the release of his second novel, Wellness. Join us for a reading and book signing at the library as part of their annual Booktoberfest on October 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Register here!

About the Book

The New York Times best-selling author of The Nix is back with a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the often baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together. From the gritty '90s Chicago art scene to a suburbia of detox diets and home-renovation hysteria, Wellness reimagines the love story with a healthy dose of insight, irony, and heart.

“A hilarious and moving exploration of a modern marriage that astounds in its breadth and intimacy.” —Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half

When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the '90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago’s thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter cults disguised as mindfulness support groups, polyamorous would-be suitors, Facebook wars, and something called Love Potion Number Nine.

For the first time, Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize each other, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other.

About the Author

Nathan Hill's best-selling debut novel, The Nix, was named the number one book of 2016 by Entertainment Weekly and one of the year's best books by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Slate, and many others. It was the winner of the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction from the Los Angeles Times and was published worldwide in more than two dozen languages. A native Iowan, Hill lives with his wife in Naples, Florida.

About Booktoberfest

Community Read | Sep 19–Nov 8, 2023
Booktoberfest is Lawrence Public Library's biggest event of the year for adult readers. Brought together by a shared love of reading, we read a book together and explore its themes through a variety of thought-provoking, conversation-starting events. Find out more here.