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The Opposite of Success
All Lorrie wants is to get promoted, accept her body and end global warming. By Friday. Is that really too much to ask?
Council employee Lorrie Hope has a great partner, two adorable kids and absolutely no idea what to do with her life. This Friday, she's hoping for change- it's launch day for her big work project, and she's applied for a promotion she's not entirely sure she wants. Meanwhile, her best friend, Alex, is stuck in a mess involving Lorrie's rakish ex, Ruben-or, more accurately, his wife. Oh, and Ruben's boss happens to be the mining magnate Sebastian Glup, who is sponsoring Lorrie's project...
As the day spirals from bad to worse to frankly unhinged, Lorrie and Alex must reconsider what they can expect from life, love and middle management. The Opposite of Success is a riotously funny debut novel about work, motherhood, friendship-and the meaning of failure itself.
Council employee Lorrie Hope has a great partner, two adorable kids and absolutely no idea what to do with her life. This Friday, she's hoping for change- it's launch day for her big work project, and she's applied for a promotion she's not entirely sure she wants. Meanwhile, her best friend, Alex, is stuck in a mess involving Lorrie's rakish ex, Ruben-or, more accurately, his wife. Oh, and Ruben's boss happens to be the mining magnate Sebastian Glup, who is sponsoring Lorrie's project...
As the day spirals from bad to worse to frankly unhinged, Lorrie and Alex must reconsider what they can expect from life, love and middle management. The Opposite of Success is a riotously funny debut novel about work, motherhood, friendship-and the meaning of failure itself.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2023
31 people are currently reading
897 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
August 24, 2024
I really enjoyed this! Such an easy read and this is always important given my busy lifestyle. It was a little laggy in parts, but for the majority I truly embraced it. A wonderfully creative debut, full of quirk, uniqueness and spirit. And a little profanity and cheekiness, too.
Our main girl, council employee Lorrie, is cruising along with her life. Or so she thinks! To strive and be brilliant is not her cuppa, but she does feel deserving of a few things. Certainly not fame or being a CEO, she is ok with mediocracy. Deeply loving her husband and children, she is a little shitty that being fat (as she often calls it in her blunt, but seemingly funny manner) gets in the way, and dazed about not getting a promotion. She was passed over. She has the skills. She deserved it. This leads to a hilarious and complete meltdown (the author is very funny with her words), Lorrie is undemandingly funny, and very smart. Does she have to commit her life to work, she thinks not, is not working to live enough? She makes many good points to her boss in her frazzled way, but this does not help. She spirals further and further into a hole of her own making.
This day seems to be all downhill from here, the job rejection, some kind of weird thing with her best friend, an ex-boyfriend on the scene involved with the council event taking place on this crazy day, a dozen too many drinks and taking up smoking again. Unhinged is definitely the word!
I didn’t love her final choice in relation to work, nor did I like her best friend – Alex was a strange one indeed, but this didn’t matter. Lorrie’s zaniness, her complete and utter lack of regard for correctness and a nice relationship with her work guy was refreshing. She was naughty but crazily honest. This was fun and silly and serious too. An excellent debut; sharp, funny and entertaining. I flew through it, and of late I have not had a lot of time for physical books. It was a very easy and satisfying read, highly recommended.
With my thanks to @betterreadingau, and of course Text Publishing, for my physical copy to read and review. I think this author may be going places. I hope the book doesn't stay as an unhidden gem, and that it does flourish out there in the reading world!
Our main girl, council employee Lorrie, is cruising along with her life. Or so she thinks! To strive and be brilliant is not her cuppa, but she does feel deserving of a few things. Certainly not fame or being a CEO, she is ok with mediocracy. Deeply loving her husband and children, she is a little shitty that being fat (as she often calls it in her blunt, but seemingly funny manner) gets in the way, and dazed about not getting a promotion. She was passed over. She has the skills. She deserved it. This leads to a hilarious and complete meltdown (the author is very funny with her words), Lorrie is undemandingly funny, and very smart. Does she have to commit her life to work, she thinks not, is not working to live enough? She makes many good points to her boss in her frazzled way, but this does not help. She spirals further and further into a hole of her own making.
This day seems to be all downhill from here, the job rejection, some kind of weird thing with her best friend, an ex-boyfriend on the scene involved with the council event taking place on this crazy day, a dozen too many drinks and taking up smoking again. Unhinged is definitely the word!
I didn’t love her final choice in relation to work, nor did I like her best friend – Alex was a strange one indeed, but this didn’t matter. Lorrie’s zaniness, her complete and utter lack of regard for correctness and a nice relationship with her work guy was refreshing. She was naughty but crazily honest. This was fun and silly and serious too. An excellent debut; sharp, funny and entertaining. I flew through it, and of late I have not had a lot of time for physical books. It was a very easy and satisfying read, highly recommended.
With my thanks to @betterreadingau, and of course Text Publishing, for my physical copy to read and review. I think this author may be going places. I hope the book doesn't stay as an unhidden gem, and that it does flourish out there in the reading world!
March 8, 2024
This first novel by Australian Eleanor Elliot Thomas has a lot going for it. Some truthful insights, some witty dialogue, some interesting scenarios and the depth of friendships and families in our lives. Lorrie, our main narrator is having a very bad day in her life as a local council worker, where she has been for over ten years. Her best friend and co-narrator Alex is part of that day.
Although flawed as a novel, uneven and often wandering, it was entertaining and had some lovely truths, many of which I have included below. Having worked for local government in Australia for ten years myself, her council scenarios worked for me. 4 stars, library ebook.
'Despite the chaos and burden of it—and despite her urge to commit premeditated home-icide and burn it all down to the ground—she did love their house.' pg
'Bill was nothing like his dead wife. If Marie was an electrical storm, Bill was a bog marsh—dense, heavy, slow to ferment.' pg 37
'It made her weirdly nostalgic for an experience she had never had.' pg 38
'...when a parcel of rude reality smashed through the shell of her ludicrous optimism like a Molotov cocktail. Her shoulders slumped. She briefly imagined her body transforming into a sack of sentient jelly, sliding off the seat and slithering quietly out of the room.' pg 67
'Alex would have reminded her of all of this, and Alex would have been right, of course. Lorrie knew it. She understood that the world was fucked. But, still, she could not persuade herself that anything would be any less fucked if her children had never been born.' pg 111
'It occurred to her now that all this niceness was not a particularly altruistic mode of being. She realised, with a thump of nauseating clarity, that she had been operating on the assumption that if she was nice enough, people would have no choice but to reward her for being so well-behaved.
What an idiot I am, she thought. What an imbecilic pile of puffed-up human fairy floss.' pg 122
'I had a lot of time to think, and I realised that my life is actually pretty lovely as it is, you know? I mean, I love Paul, I love my children, I enjoy my work—mostly. I’m not sure that I need to do anything great, to always be striving, to have a worthwhile life.’ pg 172
Maybe Alex was right. Maybe the key to achievement was, in fact, perpetual discontent. pg 172
Although flawed as a novel, uneven and often wandering, it was entertaining and had some lovely truths, many of which I have included below. Having worked for local government in Australia for ten years myself, her council scenarios worked for me. 4 stars, library ebook.
'Despite the chaos and burden of it—and despite her urge to commit premeditated home-icide and burn it all down to the ground—she did love their house.' pg
'Bill was nothing like his dead wife. If Marie was an electrical storm, Bill was a bog marsh—dense, heavy, slow to ferment.' pg 37
'It made her weirdly nostalgic for an experience she had never had.' pg 38
'...when a parcel of rude reality smashed through the shell of her ludicrous optimism like a Molotov cocktail. Her shoulders slumped. She briefly imagined her body transforming into a sack of sentient jelly, sliding off the seat and slithering quietly out of the room.' pg 67
'Alex would have reminded her of all of this, and Alex would have been right, of course. Lorrie knew it. She understood that the world was fucked. But, still, she could not persuade herself that anything would be any less fucked if her children had never been born.' pg 111
'It occurred to her now that all this niceness was not a particularly altruistic mode of being. She realised, with a thump of nauseating clarity, that she had been operating on the assumption that if she was nice enough, people would have no choice but to reward her for being so well-behaved.
What an idiot I am, she thought. What an imbecilic pile of puffed-up human fairy floss.' pg 122
'I had a lot of time to think, and I realised that my life is actually pretty lovely as it is, you know? I mean, I love Paul, I love my children, I enjoy my work—mostly. I’m not sure that I need to do anything great, to always be striving, to have a worthwhile life.’ pg 172
Maybe Alex was right. Maybe the key to achievement was, in fact, perpetual discontent. pg 172
October 16, 2023
4.5★s
The Opposite Of Success is the first novel by Australian author, Eleanor Elliott Thomas. As she heads to work on Friday morning, Lorrie Hide, happily married, almost thirty-nine, mother of two, is feeling quite good about her application to be promoted to team leader. She’s worked as a policy officer for the city council for twelve years, so she has the experience.
So when her manager, Philomena Petrakis tells her, in perfect corporate-speak, that there’s a general perception that she doesn’t try hard enough, that she might consider “demonstrating more conspicuous commitment to achieving our shared organisational goals”, and that the job is going to a man eight years her junior who has “been working here for literally a quarter of a nanosecond”, Lorrie, perhaps understandably, has a meltdown, of the tears, snot and regrettable statements kind.
Even though she’s meant to give a speech that evening at the opening of the first of the council’s rooftop gardens, her pet project, she consoles herself with a few good slugs of alcohol at lunch. And she arranges an invite for her best friend, Alex, to film the sponsor’s speech for her documentary.
Alex Black’s documentary about the environmental activist group Future Earthlings seems to have stalled a bit, but she’s been pushing Lorrie for the chance to film Sebastian Glup’s speech at the opening of Glup Gardens: it will be interesting to hear how the CEO of the Glup Mining Group justifies his morally compromised position on the environment.
Only now she has her invite, she’s a little nervous about going: she’s not sure what the Future Earthlings have planned; and running into Zoe Apolline Moreau, attractive wife of Glup’s lawyer (and Lorrie’s ex), Ruben Armand, might be quite awkward.
Perhaps suspend your disbelief that Lorrie is, after so much alcohol, and a joint, actually still standing to make her speech: “Now, though, under the lights, with pot and alcohol and failure and betrayal charging through her veins like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, she found she could not even remember the opening line.”
Eleanor Elliott Thomas cooks up the perfect storm for her protagonists’ Friday night do, throwing in a fledgling love affair, a jealous husband, a Clive Palmer-like magnate, a rigidly-corporate manager, a sycophantic bureaucrat, a quirky lawyer, a bold fashion choice, the revelation of a hurtful secret, a bit of pot and a lot of alcohol, an embarrassing stunt, and a guard with a gun.
Sensitive readers should note that there is liberal use of expletives, but most will find this debut novel a cleverly-written and entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Text Publishing.
The Opposite Of Success is the first novel by Australian author, Eleanor Elliott Thomas. As she heads to work on Friday morning, Lorrie Hide, happily married, almost thirty-nine, mother of two, is feeling quite good about her application to be promoted to team leader. She’s worked as a policy officer for the city council for twelve years, so she has the experience.
So when her manager, Philomena Petrakis tells her, in perfect corporate-speak, that there’s a general perception that she doesn’t try hard enough, that she might consider “demonstrating more conspicuous commitment to achieving our shared organisational goals”, and that the job is going to a man eight years her junior who has “been working here for literally a quarter of a nanosecond”, Lorrie, perhaps understandably, has a meltdown, of the tears, snot and regrettable statements kind.
Even though she’s meant to give a speech that evening at the opening of the first of the council’s rooftop gardens, her pet project, she consoles herself with a few good slugs of alcohol at lunch. And she arranges an invite for her best friend, Alex, to film the sponsor’s speech for her documentary.
Alex Black’s documentary about the environmental activist group Future Earthlings seems to have stalled a bit, but she’s been pushing Lorrie for the chance to film Sebastian Glup’s speech at the opening of Glup Gardens: it will be interesting to hear how the CEO of the Glup Mining Group justifies his morally compromised position on the environment.
Only now she has her invite, she’s a little nervous about going: she’s not sure what the Future Earthlings have planned; and running into Zoe Apolline Moreau, attractive wife of Glup’s lawyer (and Lorrie’s ex), Ruben Armand, might be quite awkward.
Perhaps suspend your disbelief that Lorrie is, after so much alcohol, and a joint, actually still standing to make her speech: “Now, though, under the lights, with pot and alcohol and failure and betrayal charging through her veins like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, she found she could not even remember the opening line.”
Eleanor Elliott Thomas cooks up the perfect storm for her protagonists’ Friday night do, throwing in a fledgling love affair, a jealous husband, a Clive Palmer-like magnate, a rigidly-corporate manager, a sycophantic bureaucrat, a quirky lawyer, a bold fashion choice, the revelation of a hurtful secret, a bit of pot and a lot of alcohol, an embarrassing stunt, and a guard with a gun.
Sensitive readers should note that there is liberal use of expletives, but most will find this debut novel a cleverly-written and entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Text Publishing.
July 30, 2023
A light-hearted novel about a woman trying to figure out what she wants from this life.
I really wanted to like it as I resonated so much with most of the blurb, but the novel just fell flat. It was easy enough to read however, for the most part, I'd say I was bored and found myself rolling my eyes a lot. And the ending was a bit... silly.
Thank you to Better Reading for the opportunity to preview this book.
I really wanted to like it as I resonated so much with most of the blurb, but the novel just fell flat. It was easy enough to read however, for the most part, I'd say I was bored and found myself rolling my eyes a lot. And the ending was a bit... silly.
Thank you to Better Reading for the opportunity to preview this book.
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February 8, 2024The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Opposite of Success
‘I was on page two of Eleanor Elliott Thomas’s debut novel The Opposite of Success when I laughed out loud for the first time. By page five, I was reading paragraphs aloud to my partner. I found this story about motherhood, love, friendship, and middle-management desperately relatable, and by the end of the first chapter I had a new favourite Australian author…The Opposite of Success is a firecracker of a book that crackles with quick-fire dialogue, gorgeously rendered details, and is liberally peppered throughout with precise and enjoyably unexpected similes.’
Readings Monthly
‘An intelligent, funny and warm debut.’
Chronicle
‘An excellent romp, funny, chaotic and acutely observant.’
Michael Williams
‘Genuinely hilarious. I highly, highly recommend The Opposite of Success.’
Katherine Collette, First Time Podcast
‘A zany comedy with broad appeal...Laugh-out-loud funny.’
Age
‘An intensely relatable debut, filled with moments of comedy and charm. Though relatability is by no means a prerequisite of an enjoyable, well-crafted novel, in this case the humour and wit are enhanced by the likelihood that readers will see themselves in Lorrie and/or her best friend, Alex.’
ArtsHub
‘Laugh-out-loud...Thomas writes with compassion, humour and understanding about coming to terms with middle age, the highs (and lows) of parenting small children, office politics, ambition – and learning to appreciate what you have rather than constantly striving for more.’
Nicole Abadee, Age
‘Anyone who has worked in middle management and has asked themselves what they’re doing with their lives should read it.’
Gourmet Traveller
‘[A] witty debut…Well worth seeking out if you’re searching for a gift for someone who loves a comedic read—or is grappling with parenting, friendship, middle-management and the meaning of life.’
West Australian
‘I was on page two of Eleanor Elliott Thomas’s debut novel The Opposite of Success when I laughed out loud for the first time. By page five, I was reading paragraphs aloud to my partner. I found this story about motherhood, love, friendship, and middle-management desperately relatable, and by the end of the first chapter I had a new favourite Australian author…The Opposite of Success is a firecracker of a book that crackles with quick-fire dialogue, gorgeously rendered details, and is liberally peppered throughout with precise and enjoyably unexpected similes.’
Readings Monthly
‘An intelligent, funny and warm debut.’
Chronicle
‘An excellent romp, funny, chaotic and acutely observant.’
Michael Williams
‘Genuinely hilarious. I highly, highly recommend The Opposite of Success.’
Katherine Collette, First Time Podcast
‘A zany comedy with broad appeal...Laugh-out-loud funny.’
Age
‘An intensely relatable debut, filled with moments of comedy and charm. Though relatability is by no means a prerequisite of an enjoyable, well-crafted novel, in this case the humour and wit are enhanced by the likelihood that readers will see themselves in Lorrie and/or her best friend, Alex.’
ArtsHub
‘Laugh-out-loud...Thomas writes with compassion, humour and understanding about coming to terms with middle age, the highs (and lows) of parenting small children, office politics, ambition – and learning to appreciate what you have rather than constantly striving for more.’
Nicole Abadee, Age
‘Anyone who has worked in middle management and has asked themselves what they’re doing with their lives should read it.’
Gourmet Traveller
‘[A] witty debut…Well worth seeking out if you’re searching for a gift for someone who loves a comedic read—or is grappling with parenting, friendship, middle-management and the meaning of life.’
West Australian
January 7, 2024
A light-hearted look at a very bad day. I will never write a novel but if I did I would set it over a single day or weekend. I love compressed timeframes and how they allow writers to blow things up. Pulling it off technically while revealing fully formed characters is no mean feat. I adored the way Thomas wrote about motherhood. Lorrie’s love for her children and her husband felt so beautiful and straight-forward in a literary landscape that rarely champions such a concept or if it does feels sentimental. It felt refreshing to have a fat character talk so openly about her relationship with her body as well as society’s relationship with it. And the work stuff was fun if outlandish. Thanks so much to @text_publishing for the hand-written post its – that’s above and beyond.
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July 22, 2024- thanks to @text_publishing for a #gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Opening unexpected bookmail is always a Pandora-box experience for me: I usually tremble, worried and excited simultaneously, inventing hundreds of scenarios in the mere seconds it takes me to open a package. In the end, everything is reduced to one primal urge and all it entails: Which new story will make it to my shelves?
A big preamble just to say that I needn't have worried. The Opposite of Success is a novel that demands very little from a reader to make an enjoyable reading experience.
The main characters, Lorrie and Alex, are two friends navigating different challenges in life until their jobs and aspirations collide in a very particular scenario that could have terrifying consequences for both of them. The narrative follows Lorrie and Alex during a very crucial, specific moment of their lives that will change many things, but mostly, their perspectives.
I have a personal preference for novels that take place during a very short period of time. It is fairly challenging to fully flesh out characters (especially in character-driven novels like this one) when working with considerable time limitations, but when these creative choices are managed with skill, great things happen. By the end of this book, I had no doubts whatsoever about the feasibility of Lorrie and Alex.
I enjoyed the humour and how well it served the story and the way it balanced the commentary on how society treats mothers in the workforce. Other themes in the book fell a bit short on development: I was not fully satisfied with the issues explored around fatphobia which could have been given a bit more space on the page, but I believe this is a matter of structure.
Overall, The Opposite of Success is an entertaining contemporary novel with accessible language, humour and lively characters that tackles current issues. I would recommend it to readers who are OK with suspending disbelief and have a preference for character-driven novels.
Opening unexpected bookmail is always a Pandora-box experience for me: I usually tremble, worried and excited simultaneously, inventing hundreds of scenarios in the mere seconds it takes me to open a package. In the end, everything is reduced to one primal urge and all it entails: Which new story will make it to my shelves?
A big preamble just to say that I needn't have worried. The Opposite of Success is a novel that demands very little from a reader to make an enjoyable reading experience.
The main characters, Lorrie and Alex, are two friends navigating different challenges in life until their jobs and aspirations collide in a very particular scenario that could have terrifying consequences for both of them. The narrative follows Lorrie and Alex during a very crucial, specific moment of their lives that will change many things, but mostly, their perspectives.
I have a personal preference for novels that take place during a very short period of time. It is fairly challenging to fully flesh out characters (especially in character-driven novels like this one) when working with considerable time limitations, but when these creative choices are managed with skill, great things happen. By the end of this book, I had no doubts whatsoever about the feasibility of Lorrie and Alex.
I enjoyed the humour and how well it served the story and the way it balanced the commentary on how society treats mothers in the workforce. Other themes in the book fell a bit short on development: I was not fully satisfied with the issues explored around fatphobia which could have been given a bit more space on the page, but I believe this is a matter of structure.
Overall, The Opposite of Success is an entertaining contemporary novel with accessible language, humour and lively characters that tackles current issues. I would recommend it to readers who are OK with suspending disbelief and have a preference for character-driven novels.
November 25, 2023
Thank you Text Publishing for sending us a copy to read and review.
A bad day omen always starts first thing in the morning and continues through out the day, it’s like the universe is conspiring against you.
Melbourne mum Lorrie is about to have one of those days.
Working on a major project to green the city roof tops and vying for a promotion are major factors in her career.
The day of both starts off with her toddler waking exceptionally early.
The demands of motherhood before work are strenuous and leaving the home offers relief or a reminder of a life pre kids.
The work day was symbolic of an epic domino fall.
Tears, disappointment and betrayal on a day that was supposed to define a turning point.
The green initiative was linked to a controversial public figure and Lorrie’s friend Alex wanted to be on the guest list.
An evening of drama was brewing and culminating in a day of hell for Lorrie.
An edgy read set in a familiar backdrop with a cast of well written characters. Friendships, relationships and environmental issues at the forefront and self esteem measures lurked in the background.
A bad day omen always starts first thing in the morning and continues through out the day, it’s like the universe is conspiring against you.
Melbourne mum Lorrie is about to have one of those days.
Working on a major project to green the city roof tops and vying for a promotion are major factors in her career.
The day of both starts off with her toddler waking exceptionally early.
The demands of motherhood before work are strenuous and leaving the home offers relief or a reminder of a life pre kids.
The work day was symbolic of an epic domino fall.
Tears, disappointment and betrayal on a day that was supposed to define a turning point.
The green initiative was linked to a controversial public figure and Lorrie’s friend Alex wanted to be on the guest list.
An evening of drama was brewing and culminating in a day of hell for Lorrie.
An edgy read set in a familiar backdrop with a cast of well written characters. Friendships, relationships and environmental issues at the forefront and self esteem measures lurked in the background.
May 30, 2024
I love a mental breakdown storyline but I didnt connect to the main characters as much as I’d have liked
April 3, 2024
4.5★s
The Opposite Of Success is the first novel by Australian author, Eleanor Elliott Thomas. The audio version is narrated by Sonya Kerr. As she heads to work on Friday morning, Lorrie Hide, happily married, almost thirty-nine, mother of two, is feeling quite good about her application to be promoted to team leader. She’s worked as a policy officer for the city council for twelve years, so she has the experience.
So when her manager, Philomena Petrakis tells her, in perfect corporate-speak, that there’s a general perception that she doesn’t try hard enough, that she might consider “demonstrating more conspicuous commitment to achieving our shared organisational goals”, and that the job is going to a man eight years her junior who has “been working here for literally a quarter of a nanosecond”, Lorrie, perhaps understandably, has a meltdown, of the tears, snot and regrettable statements kind.
Even though she’s meant to give a speech that evening at the opening of the first of the council’s rooftop gardens, her pet project, she consoles herself with a few good slugs of alcohol at lunch. And she arranges an invite for her best friend, Alex, to film the sponsor’s speech for her documentary.
Alex Black’s documentary about the environmental activist group Future Earthlings seems to have stalled a bit, but she’s been pushing Lorrie for the chance to film Sebastian Glup’s speech at the opening of Glup Gardens: it will be interesting to hear how the CEO of the Glup Mining Group justifies his morally compromised position on the environment.
Only now she has her invite, she’s a little nervous about going: she’s not sure what the Future Earthlings have planned; and running into Zoe Apolline Moreau, attractive wife of Glup’s lawyer (and Lorrie’s ex), Ruben Armand, might be quite awkward.
Perhaps suspend your disbelief that Lorrie is, after so much alcohol, and a joint, actually still standing to make her speech: “Now, though, under the lights, with pot and alcohol and failure and betrayal charging through her veins like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, she found she could not even remember the opening line.”
Eleanor Elliott Thomas cooks up the perfect storm for her protagonists’ Friday night do, throwing in a fledgling love affair, a jealous husband, a Clive Palmer-like magnate, a rigidly-corporate manager, a sycophantic bureaucrat, a quirky lawyer, a bold fashion choice, the revelation of a hurtful secret, a bit of pot and a lot of alcohol, an embarrassing stunt, and a guard with a gun.
Sensitive readers should note that there is liberal use of expletives, but most will find this debut novel a cleverly-written and entertaining read.
The Opposite Of Success is the first novel by Australian author, Eleanor Elliott Thomas. The audio version is narrated by Sonya Kerr. As she heads to work on Friday morning, Lorrie Hide, happily married, almost thirty-nine, mother of two, is feeling quite good about her application to be promoted to team leader. She’s worked as a policy officer for the city council for twelve years, so she has the experience.
So when her manager, Philomena Petrakis tells her, in perfect corporate-speak, that there’s a general perception that she doesn’t try hard enough, that she might consider “demonstrating more conspicuous commitment to achieving our shared organisational goals”, and that the job is going to a man eight years her junior who has “been working here for literally a quarter of a nanosecond”, Lorrie, perhaps understandably, has a meltdown, of the tears, snot and regrettable statements kind.
Even though she’s meant to give a speech that evening at the opening of the first of the council’s rooftop gardens, her pet project, she consoles herself with a few good slugs of alcohol at lunch. And she arranges an invite for her best friend, Alex, to film the sponsor’s speech for her documentary.
Alex Black’s documentary about the environmental activist group Future Earthlings seems to have stalled a bit, but she’s been pushing Lorrie for the chance to film Sebastian Glup’s speech at the opening of Glup Gardens: it will be interesting to hear how the CEO of the Glup Mining Group justifies his morally compromised position on the environment.
Only now she has her invite, she’s a little nervous about going: she’s not sure what the Future Earthlings have planned; and running into Zoe Apolline Moreau, attractive wife of Glup’s lawyer (and Lorrie’s ex), Ruben Armand, might be quite awkward.
Perhaps suspend your disbelief that Lorrie is, after so much alcohol, and a joint, actually still standing to make her speech: “Now, though, under the lights, with pot and alcohol and failure and betrayal charging through her veins like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, she found she could not even remember the opening line.”
Eleanor Elliott Thomas cooks up the perfect storm for her protagonists’ Friday night do, throwing in a fledgling love affair, a jealous husband, a Clive Palmer-like magnate, a rigidly-corporate manager, a sycophantic bureaucrat, a quirky lawyer, a bold fashion choice, the revelation of a hurtful secret, a bit of pot and a lot of alcohol, an embarrassing stunt, and a guard with a gun.
Sensitive readers should note that there is liberal use of expletives, but most will find this debut novel a cleverly-written and entertaining read.
November 15, 2023
load of bull to be honest. moments here and there, very sparingly, way too cliched, way too much unnecessary body talk, ending was dumb and out of nowhere - and not in a oh wow what a twist or whatever kind of way - unbelievable. stupid. i feel bad but i don’t.
September 10, 2023
I wanted to like this one but it was not my thing and I found the characters highly agitating.
January 13, 2024
I really was apprehensive about the book - but I didn’t mind it at all. A fun read that has broken my reading drought
August 2, 2023
Lorrie is my new hero. Loved this book, funny, real and with a truly engaging character in Lorrie at the center of everything. An engaging examination of why we do what we do and if who and what should be important in our lives. Thanks Text for an advance copy
October 3, 2023
The Opposite of Success follows Lorrie through a comedy of errors on a day that should have been so rewarding with the launch of a new work project. Instead she is faced with the weariness of being a mum, an encroaching mortgage of a crappy house, not being entirely happy with how she looks, the anxiousness of going for a promotion and the escalation of the impact of relationships from her past. Parallel to this is her best friend’s story, Alex, who is caught up in a lot of the drama unfolding for Lorrie and creating her very own.
Lorrie has always asked herself if she was doing the rights things in her life and whether she made the right choices. She questioned everything and second guessed herself a lot, which led to many of the decisions she ended up making. When she started to act on impulse, her true character seemed to come a live – silly, without care and brutally honest - making fun of the corporate sponsor was hilarious! She threw caution to the wind to go out with a bang. Literally.
Alex’s story was not as silly but it was just as haphazard, in that she connected with the wife of an old flame who was once Lorrie’s boyfriend, and was working for a renegade activist group hell bent on crashing Lorrie’s work function. It was through all of these extreme activities and scenarios that the depth of these characters came through. We learn so much of them in a short time period. The whole idea of dealing with success and feeling like a failure was invigorating because it wasn’t about being fixed or happy-ever-after because life is not like that. Like can be mediocre, startling, raw, and brutal, and this book provided a unique perspective on this..
The 24-hours of chaos made Lorrie particularly relatable; you can place yourself in her shoes, and she is formed as a character relatively quickly.
Thank you to @textpublishing for my copy
Lorrie has always asked herself if she was doing the rights things in her life and whether she made the right choices. She questioned everything and second guessed herself a lot, which led to many of the decisions she ended up making. When she started to act on impulse, her true character seemed to come a live – silly, without care and brutally honest - making fun of the corporate sponsor was hilarious! She threw caution to the wind to go out with a bang. Literally.
Alex’s story was not as silly but it was just as haphazard, in that she connected with the wife of an old flame who was once Lorrie’s boyfriend, and was working for a renegade activist group hell bent on crashing Lorrie’s work function. It was through all of these extreme activities and scenarios that the depth of these characters came through. We learn so much of them in a short time period. The whole idea of dealing with success and feeling like a failure was invigorating because it wasn’t about being fixed or happy-ever-after because life is not like that. Like can be mediocre, startling, raw, and brutal, and this book provided a unique perspective on this..
The 24-hours of chaos made Lorrie particularly relatable; you can place yourself in her shoes, and she is formed as a character relatively quickly.
Thank you to @textpublishing for my copy
January 8, 2024
The story focuses on Lorrie and one important day - it's the launch of her big work project at (Melbourne) City Council, and she's awaiting news of a promotion. Lorrie also has a loving partner, two young children, and a best friend, Alex, who is involved in a tricky situation with Lorrie's ex, Ruben - or, more accurately, his wife. Unhelpfully, Ruben's boss happens to be the mining magnate who is sponsoring Lorrie's project.
The calamities unfold in a fairly predictable way, and the ending is somewhat farfetched BUT there were some really terrific characters in this book. Lorrie's colleagues are described so well that I had flashbacks to my days in the public service, but the standout is Lorrie herself. I felt like I knew her well, and there were bits that resonated. Especially this (it's basically me) -
The quote reminded me of the brilliant chapter titled, 'I like it!', in Samantha Irby's latest essay collection, and of this video that recently went viral.
Strong characters and some genuinely funny scenes bode well for the future. Will read more from Thomas.
2.5/5
The calamities unfold in a fairly predictable way, and the ending is somewhat farfetched BUT there were some really terrific characters in this book. Lorrie's colleagues are described so well that I had flashbacks to my days in the public service, but the standout is Lorrie herself. I felt like I knew her well, and there were bits that resonated. Especially this (it's basically me) -
Lorrie herself was culturally promiscuous. She could wolf down a dense TV classic like The Wire or bury herself in some thousand-page experimental novel, and then role over and inhale three entire seasons of Celebrity Rehab. This broad palate applied to just about everything in her life: she loved Bill Evans and Taylor Swift, gothic cathedrals and cream-brick veneers, black truffles and processed cheese. She enjoyed these things in different ways, but she couldn't say that one gave her more pleasure than the other.
The quote reminded me of the brilliant chapter titled, 'I like it!', in Samantha Irby's latest essay collection, and of this video that recently went viral.
Strong characters and some genuinely funny scenes bode well for the future. Will read more from Thomas.
2.5/5
April 8, 2024
Light-hearted, easy read. Set over the course of one day in Lorrie & Alex's life where things seem to continue to get worse & worse - both as a result of their decisions & things out of their control.
I could relate to many of Lorrie's reflections & thoughts about various themes from her body image issues, potential disadvantage at work because she has a family to her mother's unwelcome, unboundaried comments.
What I didn't like was Lorrie never turning to her husband for support over the course of her day getting worse & worse. To me, things could've gone differently perhaps if she'd turned to the person she loved and loved her most. But I guess that was part of her journey to self determining what little herself believes is 'success'.
I could relate to many of Lorrie's reflections & thoughts about various themes from her body image issues, potential disadvantage at work because she has a family to her mother's unwelcome, unboundaried comments.
What I didn't like was Lorrie never turning to her husband for support over the course of her day getting worse & worse. To me, things could've gone differently perhaps if she'd turned to the person she loved and loved her most. But I guess that was part of her journey to self determining what little herself believes is 'success'.
July 16, 2023
I was given the opportunity to read "The Opposite of Success" by Eleanor Elliott Thomas thanks to 'Better Reading' and the publisher, Text Publishing.
Lorrie, the main character, has a loving, understanding husband and two beautiful young children. However her career with the Council is not as satisfactory, as she feels she's not living up to her high expectations of herself, which is only confirmed when she misses out on a promotion which she (and everyone else) had anticipated would be hers. From this extremely disappointing revelation, her day continues to go rapidly downhill as she seems unable to prevent herself from a series of disastrous moves which don't augur well for her future employment. Her best friend of many years also has some surprises in store for her and somehow even an ex-boyfriend has some input into her day from Hell!
The story is perhaps a little far-fetched, however I'm sure most of us can empathise with some of the emotions and situations in which she finds herself. It is even perhaps encouraging one to do one's own soul-searching - or perhaps just read and enjoy the story! All together, I found this an enjoyable light-hearted read!
Lorrie, the main character, has a loving, understanding husband and two beautiful young children. However her career with the Council is not as satisfactory, as she feels she's not living up to her high expectations of herself, which is only confirmed when she misses out on a promotion which she (and everyone else) had anticipated would be hers. From this extremely disappointing revelation, her day continues to go rapidly downhill as she seems unable to prevent herself from a series of disastrous moves which don't augur well for her future employment. Her best friend of many years also has some surprises in store for her and somehow even an ex-boyfriend has some input into her day from Hell!
The story is perhaps a little far-fetched, however I'm sure most of us can empathise with some of the emotions and situations in which she finds herself. It is even perhaps encouraging one to do one's own soul-searching - or perhaps just read and enjoy the story! All together, I found this an enjoyable light-hearted read!
January 18, 2024
Listened to this one on audio - it was okay, dragged a bit and there was nothing that caught my ear. I chuckled a couple times, but that’s about it. Also, Lorrie was insufferable and the chapters were WAY too long. I did enjoy the build-up to the event though. However, nothing memorable. I think I’ll be forgetting this one very soon.
January 28, 2024
Fantastic, topical, light chick lit for the Aussie middle class mum. Lorrie’s life was hilariously similar to my own and my mates. This is not a profound or challenging book, it’s funny and tender and pacy.
Would happily recommend as a mood lifter, or to read after you’ve read something heavy or heartbreaking.
Would happily recommend as a mood lifter, or to read after you’ve read something heavy or heartbreaking.
April 10, 2024
I read this as part of a book club and I knew from the second I read the blurb that it was not my style of book, but I gave it a go anyway. I wish I hadn’t. There was a typo on page 8 and it honestly all went downhill from there. Characters were flat and one dimensional or just stereotypes and the ending was ridiculous.
June 6, 2024
Listened to this one. I thoroughly enjoying the first couple of parts of this novel- especially the all-too relatable parenting aspects and narrative. However, I lost interest when introduced to Alex and didn’t find myself invested in the plot.
August 1, 2024
Didn't quite resonate with me. I found it challenging to connect with the characters, which made the reading experience less engaging. However, the straightforwardness of the story made it easy to finish the book
March 1, 2025
I think maybe I’m too old at 44 for this book? Some moments I loved - the Kmart outfit shopping to try & feel better was so relatable as was the mini breakdown. But the rest was just a bit full of drama for me & unrealistic.
March 11, 2024
Likeable, funny and a credible observation of what it is to be a working mum. The friendships are really beautifully done, as are the cringe-worthy scenes when Lorrie is on a downward spiral. So refreshing to read an entertaining, charming contemporary story with a local, Melbourne setting. I had no expectations about this book, but I’m really glad I read it.
April 1, 2024
I read this over Easter and really enjoyed it. The characters feel authentic, their friendship genuine and it was very funny. Laughed out loud which I don’t often do with a book. Loved it.
April 2, 2024
I found it hard to relate to the characters. They didn't have much depth, and I found myself skimming just to get to the end to see what happened.
z-abandoned
June 10, 2024Got to page 143 but it just wasn’t doing it for me.
July 26, 2023
The Opposite of Success is an Australian novel that follows two best friends over a challenging 24-hour period.
The book begins with Lorrie and follows her through what is supposed to be a great day. Instead, she is faced with chaos and some self-generated drama. We spend the book going between her perspective and her best friend, Alex; a number of surprising connections unfold and keep the audience guessing.
The first change between voices was a little jarring, but it soon became clear the importance of hearing from Lorrie and Alex. One of the reasons this book was such an enjoyable read was the revelations from the different perspectives; which would have been challenging to convey without Lorrie and Alex’s voices.
The focus on the 24-hour period makes Lorrie particularly relatable; you can place yourself in her shoes and she is formed as a developed character relatively quickly.
It is a fun novel, and one that should be at the top of the ‘to read’ list for book clubs, particularly those based in Melbourne.
Rating 3/5
Thank you to Better Reading for the opportunity to read and review this book. The book is scheduled to be released 3 October 2023.
The book begins with Lorrie and follows her through what is supposed to be a great day. Instead, she is faced with chaos and some self-generated drama. We spend the book going between her perspective and her best friend, Alex; a number of surprising connections unfold and keep the audience guessing.
The first change between voices was a little jarring, but it soon became clear the importance of hearing from Lorrie and Alex. One of the reasons this book was such an enjoyable read was the revelations from the different perspectives; which would have been challenging to convey without Lorrie and Alex’s voices.
The focus on the 24-hour period makes Lorrie particularly relatable; you can place yourself in her shoes and she is formed as a developed character relatively quickly.
It is a fun novel, and one that should be at the top of the ‘to read’ list for book clubs, particularly those based in Melbourne.
Rating 3/5
Thank you to Better Reading for the opportunity to read and review this book. The book is scheduled to be released 3 October 2023.
March 23, 2024
Absolute rubbish.
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