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A review by amandagstevens
The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson
4.0
Meet Paula Vauss (or meet her again, if you've read [b:Someone Else's Love Story|17349119|Someone Else's Love Story|Joshilyn Jackson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415586564s/17349119.jpg|24034796]). She's a tough divorce lawyer who voluntarily takes pro bono cases involving abused street girls. She was born blue-skinned with the umbilical cord around her neck, which prompted her mother to name her Kali after the Hindu goddess (how "Paula" ended up on her birth certificate is a whole other story). She is deliberately promiscuous, always ending a relationship the moment before she starts to care. She is sharp-edged at best, and at her best angry. She hasn't spoken to her mother Kai in a decade and despairs of ever being forgiven. Now here to rock her world is news that the woman is dying and that Paula might have more family than only Kai, if she can only track her mother down. For this, she employs Zach Birdwine, a PI who knows his job when he's sober and falls off the wagon at least yearly. He's also one of her exes; they were together just long enough for Paula to start possibly caring.
In many ways, this novel is classic Joshilyn Jackson: a story of dysfunctional people whose lives intersect all over the place. Some secondary characters are more outlandish than others, yet their human foundation keeps me believing in their reality. As always, Jackson's dialogue sings and crackles and all-around delights with its genuineness, and her narrative voice gives me craft envy.
But in other ways, this book makes me wonder if Jackson somehow read my 2-star review of her last book and actually decided not to repeat the things that angered some of her readers (minority though we were).
First of all, this book does not feature a pull-the-rug-out POV cheat masquerading as a clever twist. In fact, it doesn't really feature any twist. Not that it's predictable, but the characters come first, and these characters are who they are. When things happen as they happen, the reader gets to say, aha, yes rather than what the--?! It's a great improvement.
Second, Jackson somehow manages to be more tasteful with the sexual content in this book (about a woman who is ticked off at herself for wanting monogamy with someone) than she was in the last book (about a woman who claims to have had a child via immaculate conception). Part of me wonders if this isn't a deliberate joke of the author's (and if so, I begrudgingly tip my hat to her wit; but I still won't read Shandi's book again). I wanted to like Paula's book, didn't really expect to, and then ... did. Despite the fact that Paula's solution to her life spinning out of control is If I go sleep with an ex, I'll be myself again and things will be fine.
I think the reason for this is a simple one: Paula changes. That in a nutshell is why I enjoyed this book so much. Both Paula and Birdwine have serious dysfunction in their lives, yet both of them learn and grow in this story. By the end, I can root for their future as a couple, because Jackson has sown the hope that they will keep on getting healthier and they will end up okay. The same goes for other relationships in the book, especially Paula's with her unexpected family. They all have a long way to go, but Jackson makes us care about their journey and makes us believe they will get there. This one goes on my keeper shelf.
In many ways, this novel is classic Joshilyn Jackson: a story of dysfunctional people whose lives intersect all over the place. Some secondary characters are more outlandish than others, yet their human foundation keeps me believing in their reality. As always, Jackson's dialogue sings and crackles and all-around delights with its genuineness, and her narrative voice gives me craft envy.
But in other ways, this book makes me wonder if Jackson somehow read my 2-star review of her last book and actually decided not to repeat the things that angered some of her readers (minority though we were).
First of all, this book does not feature a pull-the-rug-out POV cheat masquerading as a clever twist. In fact, it doesn't really feature any twist. Not that it's predictable, but the characters come first, and these characters are who they are. When things happen as they happen, the reader gets to say, aha, yes rather than what the--?! It's a great improvement.
Second, Jackson somehow manages to be more tasteful with the sexual content in this book (about a woman who is ticked off at herself for wanting monogamy with someone) than she was in the last book (about a woman who claims to have had a child via immaculate conception). Part of me wonders if this isn't a deliberate joke of the author's (and if so, I begrudgingly tip my hat to her wit; but I still won't read Shandi's book again). I wanted to like Paula's book, didn't really expect to, and then ... did. Despite the fact that Paula's solution to her life spinning out of control is If I go sleep with an ex, I'll be myself again and things will be fine.
I think the reason for this is a simple one: Paula changes. That in a nutshell is why I enjoyed this book so much. Both Paula and Birdwine have serious dysfunction in their lives, yet both of them learn and grow in this story. By the end, I can root for their future as a couple, because Jackson has sown the hope that they will keep on getting healthier and they will end up okay. The same goes for other relationships in the book, especially Paula's with her unexpected family. They all have a long way to go, but Jackson makes us care about their journey and makes us believe they will get there. This one goes on my keeper shelf.