Book Review: The Opposite of Everyone

Book Review: The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson

Paula Vauss was born with blue skin, so her mother Karen (“Kai”) named her Kali Jai after the Hindu goddess of destruction and fresh starts.  Estranged from her mother for many years, Paula has become a divorce lawyer, far better at the destruction part than the fresh starts.  But now comes a message that Kai is dying.  And then, out of the blue, Paula learns that her mother had another child, a secret legacy.  The problem is that no one knows where that child is now.

Paula has allies.  Her private detective ex-lover Birdwine, struggling with alcoholism and his own broken past, and her brother Julian (born “Ganesha”), a second surprise sibling.  But the trail’s gone cold, and meanwhile Paula must deal with a divorce case turned deadly.With the new information she has, Kali Jai Vauss must re-examine her memories to recover what actually happened to her family.

This is my first Joshilyn Jackson book, but apparently she’s had several bestsellers.  My sister really likes her stuff.  I am told that Ms. Jackson is considered a “Southern” writer, and certainly the book takes place in the southern United States, primarily around Atlanta, Georgia.

Paula is mixed-race (mixed with what she doesn’t know, as there was no father in the picture), and this comes up several times in the course of the story.  The effects are mostly negative in her youth, but she’s learned how to turn her looks to advantage in the present day.  Her unique upbringing and the estrangement from her mother have left Paula broken in many ways, despite being a high-functioning individual–part of her journey in the book is understanding why things happened as they did, and finally growing beyond that.

There’s a lot of talk about sex, Paula having been promiscuous in the past, but none on-stage.  The past comes up to haunt Paula in other ways that are more effective.

The ending is very final; no sequel or trilogy here; and the acknowledgements make it clear that Ms. Jackson has no plans for a Kali Jai Vauss series.

While quite good, this book wasn’t my cup of tea.  Recommended for fans of Joshilyn Jackson and her general type of novel.

Disclaimer:  I received this Advance Reader’s Edition free from the publisher for the purpose of reading and reviewing.  No other compensation was involved.  There may be changes in the final product.