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The Opposite of Everyone: A Novel
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Published:
HarperCollins 2016
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Description

A fiercely independent divorce lawyer learns the power of family and connection when she receives a cryptic message from her estranged mother in this bittersweet, witty novel from the nationally bestselling author of Someone Else's Love Story and Gods in Alabama—an emotionally resonant tale about the endurance of love and the power of stories to shape and transform our lives.

Born in Alabama, Paula Vauss spent the first decade of her life on the road with her free-spirited young mother, Kai, an itinerant storyteller who blended Hindu mythology with southern oral tradition to re-invent their history as they roved. But everything, including Paula's birth name Kali Jai, changed when she told a story of her own—one that landed Kai in prison and Paula in foster care. Separated, each holding secrets of her own, the intense bond they once shared was fractured.

These days, Paula has reincarnated herself as a tough-as-nails divorce attorney with a successful practice in Atlanta. While she hasn't seen Kai in fifteen years, she's still making payments on that Karmic debt—until the day her last check is returned in the mail, along with a mysterious note: "I am going on a journey, Kali. I am going back to my beginning; death is not the end. You will be the end. We will meet again, and there will be new stories. You know how Karma works."

Then Kai's most treasured secret literally lands on Paula's doorstep, throwing her life into chaos and transforming her from only child to older sister. Desperate to find her mother before it's too late, Paula sets off on a journey of discovery that will take her back to the past and into the deepest recesses of her heart. With the help of her ex-lover Birdwine, an intrepid and emotionally volatile private eye who still carries a torch for her, this brilliant woman, an expert at wrecking families, now has to figure out how to put one back together—her own.

The Opposite of Everyone is a story about story itself, how the tales we tell connect us, break us, and define us, and how the endings and beginnings we choose can destroy us . . . and make us whole. Laced with sharp humor and poignant insight, it is beloved New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson at her very best.

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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
02/16/2016
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780062105707
ASIN:
B00RTL4HWA
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Joshilyn Jackson. (2016). The Opposite of Everyone: A Novel. HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Joshilyn Jackson. 2016. The Opposite of Everyone: A Novel. HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Joshilyn Jackson, The Opposite of Everyone: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2016.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Joshilyn Jackson. The Opposite of Everyone: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2016.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Jun 12, 2018 19:52:16
Date Updated:
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        Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of ten other novels, including gods in Alabama and Never Have I Ever. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A former actor, Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and their two children.

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The Opposite of Everyone
fullDescription

A fiercely independent divorce lawyer learns the power of family and connection when she receives a cryptic message from her estranged mother in this bittersweet, witty novel from the nationally bestselling author of Someone Else's Love Story and Gods in Alabama—an emotionally resonant tale about the endurance of love and the power of stories to shape and transform our lives.

Born in Alabama, Paula Vauss spent the first decade of her life on the road with her free-spirited young mother, Kai, an itinerant storyteller who blended Hindu mythology with southern oral tradition to re-invent their history as they roved. But everything, including Paula's birth name Kali Jai, changed when she told a story of her own—one that landed Kai in prison and Paula in foster care. Separated, each holding secrets of her own, the intense bond they once shared was fractured.

These days, Paula has reincarnated herself as a tough-as-nails divorce attorney with a successful practice in Atlanta. While she hasn't seen Kai in fifteen years, she's still making payments on that Karmic debt—until the day her last check is returned in the mail, along with a mysterious note: "I am going on a journey, Kali. I am going back to my beginning; death is not the end. You will be the end. We will meet again, and there will be new stories. You know how Karma works."

Then Kai's most treasured secret literally lands on Paula's doorstep, throwing her life into chaos and transforming her from only child to older sister. Desperate to find her mother before it's too late, Paula sets off on a journey of discovery that will take her back to the past and into the deepest recesses of her heart. With the help of her ex-lover Birdwine, an intrepid and emotionally volatile private eye who still carries a torch for her, this brilliant woman, an expert at wrecking families, now has to figure out how to put one back together—her own.

The Opposite of Everyone is a story about story itself, how the tales we tell connect us, break us, and define us, and how the endings and beginnings we choose can destroy us . . . and make us whole. Laced with sharp humor and poignant insight, it is beloved New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson at her very best.

reviews
      • premium: False
      • source: Kirkus Reviews (starred review), THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYONE
      • content:

        "Jackson delivers another quirky, Southern-based, character-driven novel that combines exquisite writing, vivid personalities, and imaginative storylines while subtly contemplating race, romance, family, and self. A searing yet ultimately uplifting look at broken people who heal themselves and each other through forgiveness, love, and the power of stories." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review), THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYONE

        "The smart-ass, no holds-barred narration by whip-smart Paula/Kali... should please the many fans of Jackson's snappy writing style." — Library Journal (starred review), THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYONE

        "Beautifully written, fascinating and deep, The Opposite of Everyone is another must-read novel by Jackson... Jackson has done a phenomenal job of weaving the past with the present and unfolding the story layer after layer. This is a masterfully written tale that readers cannot put down." — RT Book Reviews (top pick) on THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYONE

        "Part twisting suspense, part unflinching exploration of the world of abandoned and exploited girls...This is one of those books that keeps you up late reading, and distracts you from your day, as you yearn to get back to its pages. I can't recommend it highly enough." — Susan Rebecca White, author of A Soft Place to Land

        "Inevitable, surprising, and beautifully layered... I loved this book and you will also." — Sara Gruen, NYT bestselling author of At The Waters Edge and Water for Elephants

        "Jackson excels at weaving a wholly absorbing story with vivid characters... [she makes] some affecting points about the importance of the stories we tell to each other and to ourselves." — Booklist, THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYONE

        "The voice is hard-boiled and the plot engrossing in Jackson's new novel, a realistic, contemporary story with a mystery driving it....This is an excellent read." — Publishers Weekly, THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYONE

        "Joshilyn Jackson has written her most unforgettable character, Paula Vauss. I love her, I hate her, I want to yell at her, then laugh with her, then fight with her before drinking with her. But mostly I want her to be real. And I didn't want her story to end." — Elaine Lui, founder of Lainey Gossip and author of Listen to the Squawking Chicken

        "The unconventional characters in Jackson's books often provide thought-provoking studies of love and loyalty; this must-read also contemplates the transformative power of storytelling." — New York Times Book Review on THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYONE

      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        January 11, 2016
        The voice is hard-boiled and the plot engrossing in Jackson's (Someone Else's Love Story) new novel, a realistic, contemporary story with a mystery driving it. In a twist, the troubled detective protagonist is no screwed-up male with substance abuse issues and an inability to commit (although there is one in the story); rather, she is hard-nosed, mixed-race, divorce lawyer Paula Vauss, nicknamed Kali (as in the fearsome Hindu goddess) by her feckless but charming mother Kai. Paula has settled near Atlanta, where she tries to push away everyone she cares about, but this becomes impossible when her past and present converge. She hasn't seen her mother Kai in years; then, the monthly check she sends to her is returned with a cryptic message, and a half-brother, Julian, whom she didn't know she had, shows up. Although Paula is rough and reckless, Jackson makes her an easy character to root for by vividly depicting her inner struggle and past. This is an excellent read with a fresh take on the detective genre.

      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        Starred review from December 15, 2015
        A tough divorce lawyer with a troubled past is forced to revisit her childhood when she discovers her estranged mother is probably dead and may have left another child behind. Paula Vauss was born to a free-spirited teen mother who nicknamed her Kali, after the Hindu goddess of change and destruction. The two traveled across the South, Paula's mother taking up with men who'd shelter her and her young daughter for a time, then growing restless and taking to the road again--a lifestyle that worked much better for a young child than for a preteen beginning to exist outside her mother's influence. When an ill-fated move lands mother and daughter with a low-level drug dealer, Paula makes a phone call that will change their lives forever and drive a wedge through their close, loving relationship. Years later, still trying to atone for that devastating act and make sense of her subsequent reinvention into a hardscrabble fighter who survived foster care, law school, and her mother's scathing silence, Paula discovers she may have siblings, including a young child who may be lost in the system. Traveling back through her memories, Paula looks for guidance from her itinerant childhood and the stories her mother told her, an odd combination of Hindu mysticism and Southern mythmaking: "I was born in Alabama. My mother invoked Kali on the black and bloody soil of the American South, and she didn't get renewal, hope, or springtime. She got me." She'll also have to re-evaluate her sense of self, since suddenly, rather than burning bridges, she may have to forgive herself enough to let others in and create deep connections. Jackson delivers another quirky, Southern-based, character-driven novel that combines exquisite writing, vivid personalities, and imaginative storylines while subtly contemplating race, romance, family, and self. A searing yet ultimately uplifting look at broken people who heal themselves and each other through forgiveness, love, and the power of stories.

        COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: Booklist
      • content:

        December 15, 2015
        In her seventh novel, the popular Jackson puts the spotlight on a minor character from her previous novel, Someone Else's Love Story (2013). Paula Vauss is a tough Atlanta divorce attorney with a skeptical view of relationships. She grew up with her hippie mom, Kai, who was constantly on the move, had a string of boyfriends, and loved to tell stories woven through with Hindu mythology. But Paula hasn't seen her mom in 15 years, and their history includes a very painful passage when Kai was in prison and Paula in foster care. When Paula receives a cryptic note from Kai indicating that she is seriously ill, the hard-bitten lawyer crumbles, asking her ex-lover, Birdwire, an investigator who has had his heart broken by Paula, for help in locating Kai. Jackson excels at weaving a wholly absorbing story with vivid characters. Paula's fractious relationship with Birdwire is the highlight as the two sparring, onetime lovers renegotiate their relationship. A bit too heavy on the Hindu mythology, this novel, nonetheless, makes some affecting points about the importance of the stories we tell to each other and to ourselves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        May 15, 2016

        Born blue and named Kali Jai for the Hindu goddess, Paula Vauss is estranged from her mother and has worked diligently to overcome her transient childhood. When her monthly check to her mom (to pay off her karmic debt) is returned with a puzzling note, Paula is forced to examine her troubled past. VERDICT Jackson's fans will find much to love and new readers will delight in compelling plot twists, unforgettable characters, and strong storytelling. (LJ 1/16)

        Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        September 15, 2015

        Atlanta divorce lawyer Paula Vauss was born Kali Jai in Alabama and spent her childhood traveling around with her mother, Kai, an itinerant storyteller who constantly reinvented their lives with a neat blend of Southern yarn spinning and Hindu mythology. Kai ended in prison and Paula in foster care, and the last check Paula sent her mother has been returned with a mysterious note. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

        Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        January 1, 2016

        Because Paula Vauss was born blue, with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, her free-spirited mother, Kai, named her "Kali" after the blue-skinned Hindu goddess. But Kai still had three months left in a youth detention center when she gave birth, so "Paula" ended up on the birth certificate. This conflict between Kai's feckless, creative nature and Paula's wish to be "normal" plays out tragically, leaving mother and daughter estranged for years, until Paula, now a high-powered divorce lawyer known for digging up dirt and nailing greedy husbands for hefty settlements, receives word that her mother is terminally ill, perhaps already dead. The smart-ass, no holds-barred narration by whip-smart Paula/Kali with not infrequent but judiciously placed earthy language should please the many fans of Jackson's (Gods in Alabama; A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty) snappy writing style. VERDICT The story of how a hard-edged, biracial, self-sufficient divorce lawyer allows family and love back into her life after fiercely shielding herself from heartbreak for over 20 years is likely to join the author's six previous novels as a popular book club selection. [See Prepub Alert, 8/24/15.]--Laurie Cavanaugh, Holmes P.L., Halifax, MA

        Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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shortDescription

A fiercely independent divorce lawyer learns the power of family and connection when she receives a cryptic message from her estranged mother in this bittersweet, witty novel from the nationally bestselling author of Someone Else's Love Story and Gods in Alabama—an emotionally resonant tale about the endurance of love and the power of stories to shape and transform our lives.

Born in Alabama, Paula Vauss spent the first decade of her life on the road with her free-spirited young mother, Kai, an itinerant storyteller who blended Hindu mythology with southern oral tradition to re-invent their history as they roved. But everything, including Paula's birth name Kali Jai, changed when she told a story of her own—one that landed Kai in prison and Paula in foster care. Separated, each holding secrets of her own, the intense bond they once shared was fractured.

These days, Paula has reincarnated herself as a tough-as-nails divorce attorney with...

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