Just in time for fall football season, local author Matthew M. Quick offers up some good old fashioned Eagles mania as expressed by the characters in his forthcoming novel The Silver Linings Playbook. Though do not be misled—this is not a football book. Rather, it is a tale of a man's struggle with his own madness, and of course the madness caused by being a rabid, lifelong Eagles fan. As anyone from the Philadelphia area knows, eternal optimism is required to be a long-standing Philadelphia fan. And main character Pat Peoples has just that—an eternal optimism which he divines from the shapes of the clouds in the sky. We follow Pat after his release from a neural health facility and watch as he regains his place in his family, in society, and in his own mind.

Early reviews for the book are solid:

"...immensely likable debut novel... Deftly timed surprises stimulate crucial revelations, and the full truth of both Pat’s sufferings and his own egregious contributions to them expand the novel’s basically simple comic-domestic texture into something far more disturbing, complex and, eventually, quite moving. ...[I]ts judicious blending of pop-culture experience with richly persuasive characterizations... make the book a winner. A first novel that doggedly does its own thing (we’re reminded of Frederick Exley’s A Fan’s Notes). Most readers will find Pat just about irresistible." -Kirkus Reviews

"You don't have to be a Philadelphia Eagles' fan (or even from Philadelphia) to appreciate talented newcomer Matthew Quick's page-turning paean to the power of hope over experience—the belief that this will all work out somehow, despite the long odds that life deals us. Tender, soulful, hilarious, and true, The Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful debut." -Justin Cronin, PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author

The book is officially released September 9th, 2008, but five Phillyist readers have a chance to win a copy in advance. Simply fill out the form below and cross your fingers. Contest runs through this Friday, so enter now and get ready to chant along: "E!-A!-G!-L!-E!-S! EAGLES!"

Note: If you win, a notification will be sent to you at the email address you provide in the contest form, usually a day or so after the contest ends. So please keep an eye on your inbox and junk mail folder for a message from us. Thanks.