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Summary and Reviews of The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson

The Opposite of Everyone

by Joshilyn Jackson
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (32):
  • First Published:
  • Feb 16, 2016, 352 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Oct 2016, 352 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

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 birthname 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 her own secrets, 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 cryptic letter. "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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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

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Quirky and appealing characters, an engaging story, and honest dialogue make this a great book! From the very first pages I couldn't put it down. The characters were so real to me, and their story was so believable that I felt myself immersed in their lives...continued

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(Reviewed by First Impressions Reviewers).

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Beyond the Book



The Tridevi in Hinduism

The Opposite of Everyone is peppered with elements from Hinduism, most prominently with references to the goddess Kali who is widely revered among Hindus for her ability to quell chaos during dark times (read 'Beyond the Book' for The Strangler Vine to learn more about Kali).

Left According to the tenets of Hinduism, the Supreme Being takes on the form of various gods and goddesses each worshipped for a special reason. At the top of the pantheon are three gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. Afforded equal importance in the religion are their respective wives: Saraswati, the goddess of learning; Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Parvati, for love and fertility.

The Hindu festival ...

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