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WORK TITLE: The Other Side of Everything
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.laurendoyleowens.com/
CITY:
STATE: FL
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author. Florida International University, M.F.A.
WRITINGS
Contributor to periodicals, including Concho River Review and the Seventh Wave.
SIDELIGHTS
Lauren Doyle Owens has become most well known for her writing. Prior to launching her career, she attended Florida International University, where she obtained her M.F.A. She has published work within several literary magazines, including Concho River Review and The Seventh Wave.
The Other Side of Everything serves as Owens’s introductory book. The narrative takes place in the state of Florida, following the lives of several residents of Seven Springs as they deal with the chaos within their own lives. Each of the characters within the book find themselves affected by death and loss in one way or another. One such character is a young girl, Maddie, who meets a mysterious man through her job as a diner waitress. Maddie is dealing with the effects of an AWOL mother and the new responsibilities that have been thrust onto her plate. As a result, she is entirely focused on trying to support her family. However, her youth attracts endless advances from the male patrons of the diner, and it may turn out that the customer she finally chooses could have the worst possible motives. Another character is a woman named Amy, who has been afflicted with several intimate tragedies and attempts to cope by returning to her old passion of creating paintings. However, her artwork starts to become strangely prophetic, allowing her insight into the identity of a murderer who has been targeting the town’s elderly community, as well as the events surrounding the demise of her neighbor. The final lead character is a man by the name of Bernard White, who claims he can hear Vera and Irene, two women Bernard deeply loved and lost, attempting to communicate with him. All three of these characters’ lives intertwine in unimaginable ways in the face of a horrific string of crimes.
In an issue of Kirkus Reviews, one contributor called the book “a slow-burning thriller that explores the cost of love turned askew.” Booklist reviewer Christine Tran expressed that the book possesses “fine writing, a flawlessly constructed story, and relatable characters providing plenty of questionable decisions rife for discussion.” A writer in Publishers Weekly remarked: “Fans of crime fiction wanting literary flair and emotional depth will gladly follow this trio of complicated characters.” On the Out of the Bex blog, one reviewer said: “With elegant, heartfelt writing, Owens has crafted a literary masterpiece hiding under the guise of a mystery.” They later added: “Perfect for readers who enjoy a sense of marrow in their mysteries, who love reading about characters that could be your own neighbor, not just a name in a book.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 15, 2017, Christine Tran, review of The Other Side of Everything, p. 27.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2017, review of The Other Side of Everything.
Publishers Weekly, October 23, 2017, review of The Other Side of Everything, p. 60.
ONLINE
Lauren Doyle Owens Website, http://www.laurendoyleowens.com (March 28, 2018), author profile.
Out of the Bex, http://outofthebex.com/ (February 21, 2018), review of The Other Side of Everything.
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.
Lauren is a Florida-based fiction writer and the author of
The Other Side of Everything, a literary mystery set during a sweltering South Florida summer.
People magazine calls the other side of everything "A Compelling Tale of Survival and hope."
Publishers weekly calls it a "tense, rich debut" for readers "wanting literary flair and emotional depth."
Florida weekly says it's "at once a nail-biter and a brilliant nuanced evocation of how communities work and don't work.
and kirkus calls it "a slow burning thriller that explores the cost of love turned askew."
what will you call it?
Owens, Lauren Doyle: THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING
Kirkus Reviews. (Nov. 15, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Owens, Lauren Doyle THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING Touchstone/Simon & Schuster (Adult Fiction) $25.00 1, 23 ISBN: 978-1-5011-6779-9
In the sleepy community of Seven Springs, Florida, a serial killer is targeting elderly women.
Investigating the killings takes a back seat to the drama of the community itself in this debut novel. Owens populates her tale with characters who all find themselves caught in a web spun long ago, deftly threading together lives fraught with personal crises and the emotional price of recovery, using unexpected violations to link her characters. Much of the action centers on Bernard White, a widower who still hears the voices of his long-dead wife, Irene, and of his long-dead mistress, Vera, reminding him to take his medications. Amy, the first victim's neighbor, has survived a hysterectomy and double mastectomy but cannot save her marriage. Even in her despair, Amy is driven by the first murder to reopen her garage art studio, and what she paints surprises her: she sees not only the woman's death, but also the murderer, which is impossible, of course, because Amy has no idea who the murderer is. Yet her obsession with discovering his identity awakens not only the suspicions of the local police department, but also the wrath of the true killer. Meanwhile, Maddie, just 15, struggles to make financial and emotional ends meet now that her mother has abandoned the family. Maddie works most days after school at a local diner, where the men of the town try to catch her attention. Eventually she gives in, accepting a date with Nate, a young man whose intentions become increasingly dubious. As Bernard's, Amy's, and Maddie's lives converge, the serial killer's connection to Seven Springs forces open the closet doors to skeletons long hidden.
A slow-burning thriller that explores the cost of love turned askew.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Owens, Lauren Doyle: THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514267793/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f64f4279. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A514267793
The Other Side of Everything
Christine Tran
Booklist. 114.6 (Nov. 15, 2017): p27.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* The Other Side of Everything.
By Lauren Doyle Owens.
Jan. 2018. 272p. Touchstone, 525 (9781501167799); e-book, 512.99 (9781501167812).
Seven Springs, a sleepy Fort Lauderdale suburb, plunges into hysteria when a killer, fueled by long-buried secrets, murders Adel, one of "the originals" who migrated to the neighborhood in the sixties. Amy, Adel's next-door neighbor, who has struggled to reclaim her life after a grueling cancer battle, is drawn back to painting by a compulsion to portray Adel's final moments. Like Adel, Bernard is one of "the originals," but he has been living an isolated, routine-driven existence since his wife died. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Maddie, lost since her mother left without warning a few months ago, spins out of balance with a reckless new relationship and a penchant for wandering the neighborhood alone at night. After two more elderly women are murdered, Bernard mobilizes "the originals" to pair up until the killer is found, unwittingly sparking his own reawakening when he's paired with Maryanne, another of the group's singles. At the same time, police are looking everywhere for the killer, even at Amy, whose paintings of Adel's death have raised suspicion. Owens balances themes of alienation and loneliness as Amy, Bernard, and Maddie reform their faltering connections, and the murders awaken Seven Springs, slyly advancing the subplots toward a thrilling confrontation. 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.--Christine Tran
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Tran, Christine. "The Other Side of Everything." Booklist, 15 Nov. 2017, p. 27. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A517441749/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=390aac21. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A517441749
The Other Side of Everything
Publishers Weekly. 264.43 (Oct. 23, 2017): p60.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Other Side of Everything
Lauren Doyle Owens. Touchstone, $25 (272p)
ISBN 978-1-5011-6779-9
Owens's tense, rich debut follows the wide-ranging consequences of a brutal murder for the lives of three unconnected neighbors in sleepy Seven Springs, Fla.: widower Bernard, teenage waitress Maddie, and painter Amy. Bernard, a reclusive widower, convinces his cohort of fellow single retirees to pair up in a buddy system for safety, and the time he spends with his next-door neighbor prompts him to reevaluate his lifestyle and reopens the old wounds of his marriage. Fifteen-year-old Maddie, waiting tables and coping with her mother's abandonment through expertly hidden self-harm, worries about the vagrant accused of the murder. Lastly, the victim's next door neighbor Amy, whose creativity and marriage have been strained by her hysterectomy and double mastectomy, is inspired to paint again by the murder. Her creepy works make her a target of both the media and the murderer after she's interviewed for a blog. 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. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary Agency. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Other Side of Everything." Publishers Weekly, 23 Oct. 2017, p. 60. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A512184154/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e31605b0. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A512184154
The Other Side of Everything Book Review: A literary mystery by Lauren Doyle Owens
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Bernard White is a curmudgeonly widower who has lived in Seven Springs, Florida for decades and has kept to himself since his wife passed. When his neighbor is murdered, he emerges from his solitude to reconnect with his fellow octogenarians. These connections become a literal lifeline as a second, and then a third, elderly woman is murdered, and “the originals” as they call themselves, realize that they are being targeted.
Amy Unger is an artist and cancer survivor whose emotional recovery has not been as successful as her physical one. After the woman next door is murdered, she begins to paint imagined scenes from the murder in an effort to cope with her own loss. But when her paintings prove to be too realistic, her neighbors grow suspicious, and she soon finds herself in the crosshairs of the police.
And then there’s Maddie Lowe, a teenage waitress whose mother recently abandoned the family. As Maddie struggles to keep her family together and maintain the appearance of normal teenage life, she finds herself drawn to the man the police say is the killer.
As they navigate their increasingly dangerous and tumultuous worlds, Bernard, Amy, and Maddie begin to uncover the connections between them, and the past and present, in a novel that ultimately proves the power of tragedy to spark renewal.
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Book Review
In less than 24 hours this book made it’s way from my to-be-read stack to my to-be-reviewed stack. I finished The Other Side of Everything with the immense satisfaction that comes from reading a story well told.
With elegant, heartfelt writing, Owens has crafted a literary masterpiece hiding under the guise of a mystery. This novel explores more than just whodunnit, but the often painful, complicated, yet beautiful experience of life itself with fantastically crafted characters. Characters so well defined, in fact, I cared more for them than the answer to the plot’s mystery.
That isn’t to say that The Other Side of Everything is without good pacing. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Perhaps that mix of literary zeal and unputdownable writing style is what makes this debut such a success. It’s poignant yet unexpected, heartfelt yet stirring—the perfect addition to your wish list.
The mystery aspect of the novel is intriguing, but it exists mainly as an anchor for the characters surrounding it. Over 272 pages, Bernard, Maddie, and Amy discover the strange and irrefutable power that tragedy has to connect us to one another. At times there were passages so beautifully honest and humbling that I wished I was one of those readers with post-its and highlighters and pencils at the ready. There is plenty of opportunity to leave your notes in the margin.
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What would you change?
It’s a beautifully done debut with plenty of moments that will fill your heart and empty it again. It’s more than a mystery novel. I wouldn’t change a thing, but I would warn, to those curious, don’t go into this read expecting a thriller novel. While it is incredibly fast-paced and entirely addicting, it’s not your standard mystery/thriller. I think the genre that suits it best would be called Literary Mystery.
The Bottom Line
My first five-star read of 2018, The Other Side of Everything is worth the add to your to-be-read stack. Perfect for readers who enjoy a sense of marrow in their mysteries, who love reading about characters that could be your own neighbor, not just a name in a book. Don’t let 2018 go by without adding this to your shelves.
Verdict: Buy It
Page Length: 272
Publisher: Touchstone (Jan 23, 2018)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this review of The Other Side of Everything by Lauren Doyle Owens. Keep scrolling for a rating breakdown and pro/con list.
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