The Other Side of Everything

A Novel

By: Lauren Doyle Owens

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan, Katie Schorr, Jack de Golia

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Laura Lippman meets Megan Abbott in this suspenseful literary debut about three generations of neighbors whose lives intersect in the aftermath of a crime.

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.

©2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Three reader approach!

I’m so used to having just one reader reading with different voices for each character. Here you have three readers for each main character: Bernard, Maddie, and Amy. While this is an excellent murder mystery, it’s uniqueness to me is how this community consisting of different generations deals with it. Get this! You’ll like it!

A decent story with some flaws, but overall worth it if you enjoy “slice-of-life” fiction!

At times, the pace felt a little slow— but this book was enjoyable nonetheless! If you’re not interested in “slice-of-life” style fiction with a lot of character development, this story probably won’t hold your attention.

I found it well-rounded and intriguing, but you have to be in a specific mood for it. This isn’t a thriller or a mystery book. The murder mystery is secondary at best... it’s more like a vehicle for character development— Adele’s death connects the three narratives.

Overall, the narration was decent. I enjoyed both female narrators, but the man’s style was distracting! He had a very cartoonish... almost *snide* way of voicing the women in his segment. I got used to it, but it might be a dealbreaker for you!

Spoiler ahead...

My one complaint has to do with Amy’s side of the story. It doesn’t seem fair that her husband was invited back into her life after abandoning her when she got too “difficult.” Of course she was difficult— she survived two bouts of cancer and lost her identity and sense of self! I found him unsympathetic, selfish, and at times, even insufferable. In my opinion, he didn’t really deserve to waltz back in once she got her sh*t together... but it’s a believable ending. People do crazier things for love, I guess?

The culprit was somewhat predictable, but figuring it out didn’t lessen my enjoyment of this book. The way we’re introduced to the killer was unexpected and fascinating, though! I only wish all three characters were involved in unmasking him.

Overall, I enjoyed this story! However, if it wasn’t in the AudiblePlus catalog, I probably wouldn’t have bothered. You know what they say— you can’t beat “free.” It was a solid read, so maybe give it a shot?

The other side of everything

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery of murder in an old neighborhood.Someone is killing older women.One neighbor gets her inspiration back to paint while other neighbors form a bond to keep each other safe.A great story with three great narrators,Lisa Flanagan,Katie Schorr and Jack de Golla.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

Good Narration, Boring Story

I dragged myself to Chapter 6 and couldn’t go on. Slow. Boring. I’m glad it was free.

really hard to get into

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I kept at it with the hope that it would get better. It didn't grab my attention until 3/4 of the way through.

Meh

This was included with the audible membership, but I would’ve been super bummed if I would’ve had to pay for it… The story just kind of drags on and on, without anything really exciting. Would not recommend.

Don’t bother

It was described as a thriller. A fire and a murder starts it out. From then on, it was just boring. It was free from audible. But I paid for it by the time I wasted to try it out.

Starts out grim.. keep reading!

I actually had to stop reading this
Extremely accurate and detailed account of a crime early on. Then I got curious and enjoyed the narrators making the superb writing come alive, well..in such a beautiful way. Many surprises.
Touching characters. Such brave, unapologetic realism.
It soon lifted me in a very moving and wonderful manner. You will be changed. My favorite read in years.

Too painful to endure...

then add to it the profanity. In my opinion, this is poor entertainment. I'm sure there are people who love it, you will decide for yourself. I can endure not the best of writers, not the best of readers, but I will not abide the demoralization of so many good gifts for sake of vulgarity to appeal to those who want to debase and lower the human condition, rather than elevate it to higher standards.

Florida elderly

An interesting look into the lives of some very elderly people some younger people and what bullying can lead to even many years down the road