The Opposite of Living

Wayfarer's End #1

by Genevieve Mckay

A Superb Coming of Age Novel with a Paranormal Twist


Abandoned orphan Carolina Brown wants nothing more than to be left alone with her cookbooks and her vivid imagination. After all, fleeing into an elaborate fantasy world is the only way to endure her existence at the Institution.

Unable to speak, and tormented by harrowing dreams, Cara has no memory of her past and little hope for her future. So when a mysterious couple appears, promising to help unlock the secrets that surround her, Cara reluctantly takes a chance at a new life.

Flung abruptly into a world of riddles, where nothing is as it seems, Cara is led on an extraordinary adventure that forces her to question everything she knows about reality. About her past, her future and the world around her, including what it means to be human.

Alternately funny and heart breaking, The Opposite of Living brilliantly explores the fierce, often tragic, beauty of being alive.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy

262 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2014

About the author

Genevieve Mckay is a freelance writer, short story author, and novelist living by the ocean. When she isn't busy creating new worlds she enjoys playing outside in the dirt and riding ponies.

Reviews

[Sarahanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book. Something about the way the story unfolded really captured me.

I don't do creepy or scary - I just can't. This book was an unknown to me and I was afraid, part way in, that I'd wander into dangerous ground. The writing was so compelling I kept going & I was repaid for my courage.

There are scary elements but I found it beautifully written & handled so well. I could feel the anxiety in the character but I didn't have to feel anxiety myself.

I can't wait to dive into book 2. I hope it has that same, lovely feel.

[kelly r engler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever

I've been reading ebooks lately that were boring and totally not creative. Then I started reading this story and the traumatized girl w psychological problems dealing w life at a hospital completely intrigued me, and I surprised myself by enjoying it so. Then you bring in a blue girl and a hidden hallway in the house that has spy holes overlooking an odd blue man and his cat! The composition of it all w heartwarming telling was extremely entertaining!!!!! I had one complaint: it is too short!!!!!

[Sarah Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was weird. So I really enjoyed the first half of the book while she's in the institution and first goes home. But then the entire second half was like a totally different story.

I didn't dislike it but it just flowed strangely for me. And I still don't understand the boy from next door.

And yes I understand it's a series ... but there were a lot of unfinished things for me ... and yet the ending didn't leave me aching to read the second book.

[Jenny From The Bog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely Enchanting

I'm not sure how to review this because i don't want to spoil the unexpected surprises. Caroline's journey to find herself is wonderfully done, in turns heartbreaking and hilarious. The twists that come later were weird, but i found myself enjoying them by the end of the book.
Very different.

[Carrie Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a Twist

It was something different. I appreciated the different twists and turns in the adventure. Definitely a twist on your usual story.

[Ann P. Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aàà

[Ronnie Dewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cool book

Very VERY different. Having said that- i loved every moment of it. I couldn't put it down. WOW! It was fantastic!

[Diane Wachter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird is my major comment! The first half of the book where the main character is institutionalized was interesting. The author wanted the reader to keep guessing about why she was there, what was going on. Which was very clever, as I doubt I would have finished the book had she spilled everything at the beginning. I'm sure YA girls will find this a great read with it's weird inhabitants, other worldly characters and tragic situations. A little far-fetched for me! 2 Stars = Okay.

[Keksisbaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sie hat keine Erinnerung an ihre Vergangenheit oder irgendeine Ahnung wie sie ins Institut gekommen ist. Carolina kann auch nicht nach draußen gehen, ohne Panikattacken zu bekommen. Und auch sonst ist der Umgang mit ihr doch recht schwierig. Das Einzige was ihr hilft, ist Gordon Ramsay und seine Kochbücher. Doch dann taucht eines Tages die Schwester ihres Vaters auf und möchte sie bei sich aufnehmen. Es dauert lange bevor sie Carolinas Vertrauen gewinnt. Insbesondere da diese einem Mysterium auf der Spur ist, behauptet die Tochter des Direktors doch gestorben zu sein. Aber jetzt steht sie quicklebendig vor ihr. Auch als sie dann umsiedelt in die kleine Pension ihrer Tante, hören die Ungereimtheiten nicht auf denn da begegnen unserer Heldin noch mehr Untoten.

The Opposite of Living hat mich widererwartend wirklich gut unterhalten. Ich mochte die spröde Art der Protagonistin sehr und insbesondere ihre Liebe zu Kochbüchern und dem herrischen Verhalten von Gordon Ramsay. Carolina scheint schwer gezeichnet von ihrer Vergangenheit, an die sie sich aber nicht erinnern kann und nur langsam hebt sich der Schleier auch für den Leser. Natürlich spekuliert die Hauptperson warum sie in dem Institut ist, aber dass sie eine Auftragsmörderin ist, schreibt der Leser schnell ihrer lebhaften Phantasie zu. Manchmal war ich mir nur nicht so ganz sicher, worauf die Geschichte hinauswollte. War es jetzt die bedauerliche Lebensgeschichte eines kleinen Mädchens oder steckt doch Fantasy dahinter. Bewundert habe ich auch die Herangehensweise der Autorin an die Untoten, die mitnichten Vampiren ähneln, sondern bedauerlicherweise nach einer enormen Verletzung einfach nicht sterben wollen. Ein bisschen fehlt noch der rote Faden etwas worauf das Geschehen hinauslaufen soll, aber ich vermute dem nähern wir uns in den anschließenden Teilen. Ich bin äußerst gespannt wie es weitergeht, insbesondere mit dem fremden Jungen, der das gestörte Pferd immer besucht.

Ich habe immer ein etwas zwiespältiges Verhältnis zu Freebies. Dieses aber kommt definitiv auf den Stapel der Lohnenswerten. Manchmal findet man halt doch tolle Geschichten für wenig bis gar kein Geld.

[Francis Guenette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of Mckay’s book is a gripping, page-turner. The reader will definitely want to know where this story is going. And as the suspense builds, the emotional punch to the gut will fill more than a few eyes with tears.

The protagonist, Carolina, is a young girl who has been placed in some kind of institutional setting – we are left in the dark as to why. Instead, we are brought inside this girl’s world – a place where she makes sense of her day-to-day existence through a series of elaborate fantasies that guard her psyche from whatever traumatic events brought her to the institution in the first place. Her escape into the culinary world via Gordon Ramsey videos and the making of recipe cards is brilliant. And the way in which her focus on cooking is used as a means to bring her out of her isolation is also very well done.

The first part of the book is masterfully told and a reader might wonder if the author is selling the book short by putting it in the YA category. There are no such doubts about the YA genre in the second half. Inexplicable beings, hidden passageways, the healing power of horses and a possible romantic interest are all woven into the story.

An explanation for what happened to Carolina unfolds and though her experiences were without a doubt traumatic, certain parts of the story reach a bit beyond believability. That having been said, young, female readers will no doubt enjoy the book. The boogie man will be big enough and bad enough to scare them without freaking them out. And, as I’ve said, the first half of the book is superb.

[Aly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The opposite of living

This book did not grab me as I hoped it would. I did not get very far before I gave up. This book was not what I wanted it to be.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book interesting, however, thought that there were too many elements pushed together at once (particularly in the second half).

Actual Rating: 3.5/5