by Tristan Summerscale

Author Matthew Quick

Matthew Quick is a writer from the United States, based in the Philadelphia area. His remarkable debut novel The Silver Linings Playbook was published in the UK on the 2nd January 2009. The Silver Linings Playbook is a warm-hearted, poignant and comic story about a man, Pat Peoples, who is trying to recover from a mental breakdown. He believes that his life is following the plotline of a Hollywood movie, produced by God, and is trying to get it back on track by coming to terms with the behaviour of his estranged wife and his hatred of Kenny G.

What is the background behind you writing TSLP, and what were the inspirations?

I had quit a tenured position, sold my house, moved in with my in-laws, and was spending all my days in the unfinished, cold, Massachusetts basement that was my writing space, what my mother-in-law called the ‘Matt Cave.’ With the exception of my wife and a few others, everyone thought I had gone mad chasing a delusional dream. When you tell people you are a full-time writer, but you don’t yet have a published book to show them, you might as well tell them your life is a movie produced by god, who likes romcoms, so everything is destined to work out for the best. In many ways, I can relate to the feelings of alienation and longing that Pat Peoples experiences while living out his skewed philosophy.

The likeability of the lead character, Pat, is central to novel and it is all written from his perspective in the first person – what was the inspiration for him?

Pat is completely fictional, the product of my imagination, but I once worked as a behavior therapist at a neural health lockdown unit. The people I worked with had troubles but they also saw the world in remarkably fresh ways, and their insights and comments were always unique and often funny. I’ve been told that comedy is simply what we were not expecting, that each joke is nothing but a surprising epiphany. The people I worked with often did not possess that filter in their brains, what keeps us from saying what we actually think so that we can appear to be polite or normal. As a result, their comments were often surprising and illuminating. And that’s what I really love about Pat.

Pat reads a lot of classic novels in an attempt to become closer with his estranged wife Nikki – what is the significance of the novels you chose?

I used to teach a high school American literature course. All of the novels Pat reads in TSLP were on my syllabus. These books are in the canon, are part of our collective American heritage, the biggies, what we force our children to read. I once received a phone call from a parent whose child (my student) was suffering from depression and the parent argued that the overall dim message of the novels I was teaching was negatively affecting the student body’s collective mental health. She asked, “Does nothing end well in American literature? Can’t you teach uplifting classics?” I started to think about it and suddenly, after years of teaching these books, I began to wonder why all of the American novels I loved so much were dark and dreary, and what did that say about us?

TSLP strikes us as a very original work, did any other authors influence it? And which authors have influenced you generally as a writer?

Thank you. I wrote my MFA critical thesis on Gao Xingjian’s Soul Mountain and his use of purposeful formlessness and what he called ‘cold literature,’ basically writing without regard for market. Soul Mountain is one of my all-time favourite books. Sadly, because the book is so daring and complex and written with no regard for the standards of western storytelling, most of the people I know—especially my non-writing friends—will never read it, which is not Gao Xingjian’s fault, but a reality. When I wrote TSLP, I wanted to write a book that was accessible not only to my writing friends, but also to the guys with whom I watch football, my parents, people who never took a literature class in their life.

Justin Cronin described TSLP as a tribute ‘to the power of hope over experience’? Is that the central theme of the novel? What other key themes were you looking to explore?

Hope—even delusional optimism—is most definitely a central theme. Because Pat Peoples believes in his crackpot philosophy, he moves in an unlikely direction that leads to resolution, while many of the other characters believe in nothing and remain sadly static. I was also exploring common male-bonding themes. Football is the one thing that links Pat to other men—his allegiance to the Eagles is his only real connection to his father, brother, and friends. While this might seem sad to many, people like Pat are happy to take what they can get. As someone who tailgates frequently at Eagles games, I can confirm that amidst the gluttony and drunkenness and occasional violence a certain good communion takes place too, and it’s more than just watching football, it’s knowing that your best friends and closest family members will show up and break bread with you at least eight Sundays a year, not because they have to, but because you share a common passion.

We read that David O.Russell has written the adaptation of TSLP for the Weinstein Company film version. Is it liberating to hand over your novel for screenplay adaptation or do you worry about yielding control over your work? Did you have any involvement in the script?

It’s liberating to get paid and move out of your in-laws’ basement and into an apartment of your own. I was thrilled that such accomplished professionals wanted to use my material, but I was also worried about what Hollywood would do with the adaptation. The book is set in and around my home city of Philadelphia and while it is entirely fictitious, the characters are made from the same stuff that produced the people I love, and so it was hard to trust at first. I offered to write the screenplay, but David O. Russell is obviously the better choice. I’m a huge fan of his work, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing the script. I’ve not been involved at all, but I have been told that Harvey Weinstein made sure the adaptation is faithful to the book.

There’s quite a famous YouTube video of David O.Russell having a fairly major bust-up with Lily Tomlin on the set of I Heart Huckabees. Did you work with him at all and if so how was the experience?

I’m very much looking forward to meeting and possibly working with David. I’ve seen the YouTube clip and while it’s hard to watch such an outburst, I also think the Internet often frames events with little context and then allows everyone to judge freely. People have bad days, and there are usually reasons for these bad days. I’m not sure YouTube—while being a great creative outlet for most—is always the most impartial and humane arena. David O. Russell is a brilliant storyteller and I would gladly work with him.

Pat believes that his life follows the plot arc of a Hollywood movie – how do you think that could/should be tackled if it’s released as a Hollywood movie?

I’m a big fan of movies that are self-aware and I’m wondering if David went in that direction. I would think that dramatic irony will play a big part in the movie. The audience needs to know more than Pat. In the book, Pat thinks he is in a movie, but the reader knows that they are reading a novel in diary form. The subtext changes when the audience is sitting in a movie theater watching a movie about a guy who thinks he is in a movie—and maybe the relationship between story and audience gets a little more complex, takes on yet another level. Truthfully, I can’t wait to see what the director will do.

What projects are you currently working on? Have you started work on another novel? Any hints on what it’s about?

I am working on another adult novel and also what I am hoping will be a young adult trilogy. Can’t write any more about those now. But I do have a YA novel coming out with Little, Brown in April 2010 entitled SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR. It’s about an optimistic and spunky seventeen-year-old homeless girl who is hiding her homelessness at school while trying to make the world a better place through volunteer work. It’s another lively offbeat first-person narrative full of quirky characters and surprisingly heartbreaking moments. I’m very excited about this book and do believe fans of TSLP—both adults and teens—will be pleased.

What recently published American novels would you recommend to Notes from the Underground’s English readers and what are your books to watch out for in 2009?

The next two books on my list are Atmostpheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen and Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun. I hear these books are remarkable and I will be reading both soon.