The Other Side of Everything
Lauren Doyle Owens
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Laura Lippman meets Megan Abbott in this suspenseful mystery debut set in the aftermath of a violent crime--for "fans of crime fiction wanting literary flair and emotional depth" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). After her elderly neighbor is murdered, Amy Unger, a fledgling artist and cancer survivor, takes to the canvas in an effort to make sense of her neighbor's death. Painting helps Amy recover from the devastating illness that ended her marriage and left her life in ruin. But when her paintings prove to be too realistic, her neighbors grow suspicious, and the murderer, still lurking, finds his way to her door. Bernard White, a widower who has isolated himself for years after a family scandal, can't stop thinking about the murder of an old friend--and what it means for his fellow octogenarians as the death toll rises. He convinces the neighborhood's geriatric residents to band together to protect one another. But the Originals, as they are known, can't live together forever. As it is, Bernard is pressing his luck with the woman he's moved in with. Maddie Lowe is a teenager trying to balance her waitressing job and keeping her family intact after the disappearance of her mother, even as their neighborhood becomes more dangerous by the second. She has information crucial to solving the crime. But she doesn't realize it-until it's almost too late. Their paths converge around the killer terrorizing their neighborhood and they are all faced with a life--or death--decision... A gripping page-turner that explores the strange connections between strangers, the past and the present, and the power of tragedy to spark renewal, The Other Side of Everything marks the exciting debut of a vibrant and riveting new voice.
Product Details
Price
$16.99
$15.80
Publisher
Atria Books
Publish Date
October 09, 2018
Pages
288
Dimensions
5.2 X 8.0 X 0.7 inches | 0.45 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781501167805
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About the Author
Lauren Doyle Owens is a graduate of Florida International University's MFA program. Her work has recently appeared in The Seventh Wave and Concho River Review. She lives in Florida.
Reviews
Someone is killing the widows in Seven Springs, Florida. And there are plenty of suspects. The Other Side of Everything is a dazzling, and often unsettling, debut novel full of honesty, charm, and insight, and it is much more than a murder mystery. It will remind you of just why you started reading stories in the first place--to be transported to a world more vivid and compelling than the one you're living in. Lauren Doyle Owens has an expansive heart, a keen eye, and a lyrical voice. This sorry of loneliness, loss, compassion, and renewal will carry you away.
--John Dufresne, author of I DON'T LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING
Lauren Doyle Owen's illuminating novel shows us the power of community to both bind and separate. Its multi-generational characters shift between internal demons and a real-world killer, looking for connection. The beauty of the story lies in its ability to find hope in tragedy. A wonderful read!
--Janis Cooke Newman, author of A MASTER PLAN FOR RESCUE
The Other Side of Everything is a riveting murder mystery that also, amid all the fabulous mayhem, offers a tender, empathetic exploration of what it's like to stand at life's two great precipices: adolescence and old age. You won't be able to put it down, and after you turn the last page you won't forget its characters, young and old, who struggle to find the seeds of renewal in the shadow of tragedy. This is a fantastic debut.
--Heather Young, author of THE LOST GIRLS
Owens sets up a wicked premise--someone is murdering elderly women in a Florida town--then transcends the serial-killer genre, digging deep into the lives of the victims' neighbors: a widower, a painter and a teenager, all broken in some way. The result is a compelling tale of survival and hope--People
Intriguing and expertly paced, The Other Side of Everything is a tantalizing literary thriller you'll want to finish in one sitting.--Bustle
[A] tense, rich debut....Owens impressively captures the emotional landscape of three generations and the varying compromises required of women in each. Fans of crime fiction wanting literary flair and emotional depth will gladly follow this trio of complicated characters.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
A literary thriller with everything book groups are looking for: fine writing, a flawlessly constructed story, and relatable characters providing plenty of questionable decisions rife for discussion.--Booklist, starred review
A slow burning thriller that explores the cost of love turned askew.--Kirkus
Each character's reaction to the murders, as well as how the invasion of violence galvanizes the neighborhood, creates a solid plot. Each realizes a strength, as well as a vulnerability, they didn't know they had. Owens delivers a quiet mystery in The Other Side of Everything that expertly uncovers the emotional depth of each character... A terrific debut.--Sun-Sentinel
Lauren Doyle Owens... is someone to watch. Her stunning literary murder mystery debut is at once a nail-biter and a brilliantly nuanced evocation of how communities work and don't work....Ms. Owens builds a vibrantly realized world spreading across three generations. She traces the ebbs and flows of individual and collective destinies, her narrative charged by a lyricism that is constantly evocative and revealing. A large cast of well-drawn supporting characters reinforces the themes of connectedness and renewal. This is a remarkable debut by a distinctive talent of great promise.--Florida Weekly
--John Dufresne, author of I DON'T LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING
Lauren Doyle Owen's illuminating novel shows us the power of community to both bind and separate. Its multi-generational characters shift between internal demons and a real-world killer, looking for connection. The beauty of the story lies in its ability to find hope in tragedy. A wonderful read!
--Janis Cooke Newman, author of A MASTER PLAN FOR RESCUE
The Other Side of Everything is a riveting murder mystery that also, amid all the fabulous mayhem, offers a tender, empathetic exploration of what it's like to stand at life's two great precipices: adolescence and old age. You won't be able to put it down, and after you turn the last page you won't forget its characters, young and old, who struggle to find the seeds of renewal in the shadow of tragedy. This is a fantastic debut.
--Heather Young, author of THE LOST GIRLS
Owens sets up a wicked premise--someone is murdering elderly women in a Florida town--then transcends the serial-killer genre, digging deep into the lives of the victims' neighbors: a widower, a painter and a teenager, all broken in some way. The result is a compelling tale of survival and hope--People
Intriguing and expertly paced, The Other Side of Everything is a tantalizing literary thriller you'll want to finish in one sitting.--Bustle
[A] tense, rich debut....Owens impressively captures the emotional landscape of three generations and the varying compromises required of women in each. Fans of crime fiction wanting literary flair and emotional depth will gladly follow this trio of complicated characters.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
A literary thriller with everything book groups are looking for: fine writing, a flawlessly constructed story, and relatable characters providing plenty of questionable decisions rife for discussion.--Booklist, starred review
A slow burning thriller that explores the cost of love turned askew.--Kirkus
Each character's reaction to the murders, as well as how the invasion of violence galvanizes the neighborhood, creates a solid plot. Each realizes a strength, as well as a vulnerability, they didn't know they had. Owens delivers a quiet mystery in The Other Side of Everything that expertly uncovers the emotional depth of each character... A terrific debut.--Sun-Sentinel
Lauren Doyle Owens... is someone to watch. Her stunning literary murder mystery debut is at once a nail-biter and a brilliantly nuanced evocation of how communities work and don't work....Ms. Owens builds a vibrantly realized world spreading across three generations. She traces the ebbs and flows of individual and collective destinies, her narrative charged by a lyricism that is constantly evocative and revealing. A large cast of well-drawn supporting characters reinforces the themes of connectedness and renewal. This is a remarkable debut by a distinctive talent of great promise.--Florida Weekly
