Tender is the Night

F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1933 Date Read: 9/8/22

Synopsis: In book one, we meet Rosemary, an 18 year old Hollywood star. She encounters the Drivers (Dick and Nicole) while on holiday and falls in love with Dick. They almost have an affair.

In book two we learn that Nicole was once a mental patient. She had a consensual affair with her father which led her to have a mental breakdown. She's diagnosed as schizophrenic but that's not exactly how schizophrenia works...but anyway. Dick is friends with the psychiatrist running the asylum where Nicole is being treated. They meet, Nicole falls in love with him, and Dick...falls in love with her being in love with him. Also, she's hella rich. So the psychiatrist marries the mental patient whom he helped to treat. No issues there, right?

In book three, it is now 5 years later than book one. Dick has developed a major drinking problem and after making everyone around him miserable for a while he leaves Nicole for Rosemary. Nicole leaves Dick for a mutual friend. Nobody seems to give much of a shit about how the kids feel about this (Nicole and Dick have a son and a daughter).

My thoughts: One of my top favorite novels of all time is The Great Gatsby so I was very optimistic about this novel. And then very disappointed. It is honestly painful to read. Everybody in it is awful. Everyone is selfish and hurtful and immature. It was not a pleasant read.

It was more unpleasant knowing that Nicole was based on Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda, and Dick was partially based on Fitzgerald himself (also he appears in part as McKisco). Evidently, Fitzgerald treated Zelda badly, and she was also diagnosed as schizophrenic.

Side note: my schizophrenic son was less than pleased when I told him one of the treatments for his disease talked about in this novel is the pulling of all the afflicted's teeth. And cauterizing their tonsils. Fun!

The novel is obviously well written - it's F. Scott Fitzgerald. But it is uncomfortable reading.

Length: 349 pages in hardcover

ReReadability: no, it was depressing af

Classic: yes