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If you have seen the movie "The Silver Linings Playbook" starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, and Bradley Cooper, you are familiar with the plot of Matthew Quirk's debut novel, "The Silver Linings Playbook." "The Good Luck of Right Now" is his second novel, and a pattern is emerging. Quick likes to mix up a group of colorful characters, a romance, some mental illness, and end up with a tale of renewal, understanding, and kindness. It's a pretty successful formula.
In this particular tale, we focus on the character Bartholomew, whose mother recently died after a long and agonizing struggle with cancer. Bartholomew is in his forties, and has never really done anything in life other than take care of his mother during her illness. Big changes take place when the family priest defrocks himself and comes to visit with Bartholomew, who also starts to meet a larger circle of people through counseling sessions. The novel is presented as a series of letters that Bartholomew writes to his imaginary mentor, the actor and Tibetan freedom activist Richard Gere. The plot reaches a climax with a road trip to Canada, accompanied by the colorful but mysterious former Catholic priest , along with Max and Elizabeth, a brother/sister pair who seem to be obsessed with alien abductions. Bartholomew is in love with Elizabeth, who caries some secrets too.
In the end, Quirk's second effort is very involving and well crafted, even if some of it may seem just a bit far fetched. Some of the subject matter is actually quite dark, but is presented with such a delicate touch that it is not painful to read. This novel is entertaining and an easy read, and would be well received by most readers.
