The Opposite of Everyone

When feisty Southern divorce lawyer Paula Vauss receives a cryptic message from her estranged mother, Kai, she begins a search that ultimately shows her the power of family and forgiveness. Joshilyn Jackson's abilities extend beyond her writing--insightful, funny, and poignant--to her narration. She breathes fiery life into Paula, exposing the vulnerability that gives context to the character's self-protective sarcasm. Entertaining on every level, Jackson portrays a variety of original, flawed characters--including Paula's ex-love, Birdwine, who is a private eye, and mystical Kai, a storyteller. In addition, she creates touching scenes and builds suspenseful twists, capturing the listener's complete attention and admiration. J.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

January 11, 2016
The voice is hard-boiled and the plot engrossing in Jackson's (Someone Else's Love Story) new novel, a realistic, contemporary story with a mystery driving it. In a twist, the troubled detective protagonist is no screwed-up male with substance abuse issues and an inability to commit (although there is one in the story); rather, she is hard-nosed, mixed-race, divorce lawyer Paula Vauss, nicknamed Kali (as in the fearsome Hindu goddess) by her feckless but charming mother Kai. Paula has settled near Atlanta, where she tries to push away everyone she cares about, but this becomes impossible when her past and present converge. She hasn't seen her mother Kai in years; then, the monthly check she sends to her is returned with a cryptic message, and a half-brother, Julian, whom she didn't know she had, shows up. Although Paula is rough and reckless, Jackson makes her an easy character to root for by vividly depicting her inner struggle and past. This is an excellent read with a fresh take on the detective genre.

September 15, 2015
Atlanta divorce lawyer Paula Vauss was born Kali Jai in Alabama and spent her childhood traveling around with her mother, Kai, an itinerant storyteller who constantly reinvented their lives with a neat blend of Southern yarn spinning and Hindu mythology. Kai ended in prison and Paula in foster care, and the last check Paula sent her mother has been returned with a mysterious note. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2016

Because Paula Vauss was born blue, with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, her free-spirited mother, Kai, named her "Kali" after the blue-skinned Hindu goddess. But Kai still had three months left in a youth detention center when she gave birth, so "Paula" ended up on the birth certificate. This conflict between Kai's feckless, creative nature and Paula's wish to be "normal" plays out tragically, leaving mother and daughter estranged for years, until Paula, now a high-powered divorce lawyer known for digging up dirt and nailing greedy husbands for hefty settlements, receives word that her mother is terminally ill, perhaps already dead. The smart-ass, no holds-barred narration by whip-smart Paula/Kali with not infrequent but judiciously placed earthy language should please the many fans of Jackson's (Gods in Alabama; A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty) snappy writing style. VERDICT The story of how a hard-edged, biracial, self-sufficient divorce lawyer allows family and love back into her life after fiercely shielding herself from heartbreak for over 20 years is likely to join the author's six previous novels as a popular book club selection. [See Prepub Alert, 8/24/15.]--Laurie Cavanaugh, Holmes P.L., Halifax, MA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2016

Born blue and named Kali Jai for the Hindu goddess, Paula Vauss is estranged from her mother and has worked diligently to overcome her transient childhood. When her monthly check to her mom (to pay off her karmic debt) is returned with a puzzling note, Paula is forced to examine her troubled past. VERDICT Jackson's fans will find much to love and new readers will delight in compelling plot twists, unforgettable characters, and strong storytelling. (LJ 1/16)

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015

Atlanta divorce lawyer Paula Vauss was born Kali Jai in Alabama and spent her childhood traveling around with her mother, Kai, an itinerant storyteller who constantly reinvented their lives with a neat blend of Southern yarn spinning and Hindu mythology. Kai ended in prison and Paula in foster care, and the last check Paula sent her mother has been returned with a mysterious note. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2015
A tough divorce lawyer with a troubled past is forced to revisit her childhood when she discovers her estranged mother is probably dead and may have left another child behind. Paula Vauss was born to a free-spirited teen mother who nicknamed her Kali, after the Hindu goddess of change and destruction. The two traveled across the South, Paula's mother taking up with men who'd shelter her and her young daughter for a time, then growing restless and taking to the road again--a lifestyle that worked much better for a young child than for a preteen beginning to exist outside her mother's influence. When an ill-fated move lands mother and daughter with a low-level drug dealer, Paula makes a phone call that will change their lives forever and drive a wedge through their close, loving relationship. Years later, still trying to atone for that devastating act and make sense of her subsequent reinvention into a hardscrabble fighter who survived foster care, law school, and her mother's scathing silence, Paula discovers she may have siblings, including a young child who may be lost in the system. Traveling back through her memories, Paula looks for guidance from her itinerant childhood and the stories her mother told her, an odd combination of Hindu mysticism and Southern mythmaking: "I was born in Alabama. My mother invoked Kali on the black and bloody soil of the American South, and she didn't get renewal, hope, or springtime. She got me." She'll also have to re-evaluate her sense of self, since suddenly, rather than burning bridges, she may have to forgive herself enough to let others in and create deep connections. Jackson delivers another quirky, Southern-based, character-driven novel that combines exquisite writing, vivid personalities, and imaginative storylines while subtly contemplating race, romance, family, and self. A searing yet ultimately uplifting look at broken people who heal themselves and each other through forgiveness, love, and the power of stories.

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.