Oprah selects SW FL author Nathan Hill for her latest book club pick. What to know

A Southwest Florida author recently learned perhaps the best surprise in his writing career: Oprah Winfrey chose his book for her Book Club in September.

Nathan Hill learned on a video this week that she selected his new novel, "Wellness."

"What a book! What a book!" Oprah told Hill on social media. "Thank you for bringing me back to the streets of Chicago. I felt like I was in the old neighborhoods. I have to tell you, I was enraptured by this book. You are an incredible writer for our times."

"Thank you," Hill replied. "That means so much to me. I'm a little speechless right now. Everyone kind of sprung this on me. I wasn't quite expecting this today. This is such great news."

Here's what to know about Nathan Hill of Naples.

What is "Wellness" about and what did Oprah Winfrey say about it

"Wellness" is about college students Jack and Elizabeth who meet in the 1990s and bond through art. Twenty years later, the couple finds themselves confronting the challenges of raising a family while the two are growing apart.

The book also delves into other topics, including childhood trauma, the power and downfall of social media and striving for perfectionism.

Here's what Winfrey said on her book club's Instagram: "A modern take on love, marriage, and society’s obsession on improving almost every aspect of our lives ― 'Wellness' follows one couple as they navigate the evolution of their relationship over the course of 20 years.

"Settle in. It's modern, it's now, even though it's the '90s. You're about to be taken on an incredible ride. Written by best-selling author Nathan Hill. His vast and brilliant take on this is going to leave you thinking about the truth of your own life maybe and the stories we tell ourselves and each other."

What others have said about "Wellness"

• “Wellness is a perfect novel for our age . . . Hill is an immensely talented writer; he has a gift for prose that's elegant but unshowy, and his dialogue consistently rings true-to-life . . . a stunning novel about the stories that we tell about our lives and our loves, and how we sustain relationships throughout time — it's beyond remarkable, both funny and heartbreaking, sometimes on the same page.” — NPR

• “Wellness brilliantly blends ideas about wellness culture, modern parenting, Internet algorithms, gentrification, and most importantly, love.” — People

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

Midwest roots for Florida author Nathan Hill

Nathan Hill was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but his family moved throughout the Midwest while he was growing up. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa and his master's from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

He eventually headed to New York City with dreams of becoming a famous author. When that didn't happen, Hill moved to Naples in 2006 and began teaching about writing at Florida Gulf Coast University.

"The Nix" was Nathan Hill's first novel

"The Nix" published in August 2016 and was a bestseller. The novel is a story about a son-mother relationship that weaves in American political and pop culture. Hill has called the book "literary fiction, a family mystery," and at one point, there was talk of making the book into a film or TV series, starring Meryl Streep and directed by J.J. Abrams.

But that has not yet materialized.

The book drew high praise, including a USA Today review that called it "rich and multilayered" and gave "The Nix" four out. of four stars.

Nathan Hill's wife is in the Naples Philharmonic

While writing "The Nix," Hill was in a relationship with Jenni Groyon Hill, a bassoonist with the Naples Philharmonic. The two dated for about 14 years, including three years apart, when he was in the Northeast and she was in Naples. They wed about nine years ago.

He left for three years, to teach in Minnesota, before returning to Naples a few years ago. Groyon Hill took a sabbatical from the Naples Philharmonic to be with him in Minnesota in 2013 and 2014.

Hill told the Naples Daily News in 2016 that he would ask Groyon Hill to read an excerpt every couple days. If she really liked a passage, she referred to it as "great." For those portions she didn't enjoy, she called them "nice."

"She's a great first reader," he said in the Daily News story. "I was able to gauge the spectrum, from her 'great' to 'nice.' "

“That’s pretty much how it went," Groyon Hill said. "It started when we were on vacation. He would write something in the morning and in the evening. If I said, 'that’s fantastic, what happens next?' he would know it was great and I loved it. He can read me pretty well.”

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can email him at dosborn@gannett.com and follow his social media on Instagram and Threads @lacrossewriter.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Oprah Book Club latest pick: Naples author Nathan Hill's 'Wellness'