The Other Side of Everything

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.)