THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE

Author: Julie Buxbaum ISBN: 9780385341226 2/2008 FICTION Publisher: DELL

When successful twenty-nine-year-old Manhattan attorney Emily Haxby ends her happy relationship just as her boyfriend is on the verge of proposing, she can’t explain to even her closest friends why she did it. Somewhere beneath her sense of fun, her bravado, and her independent exterior, Emily knows that her breakup with Andrew has less to do with him and more to do with...her. “You’re your own worst enemy,” her best friend Jess tells her. “It’s like you get pleasure out of breaking your own heart.” As the holiday season looms and Emily contemplates whether she made a huge mistake, the rest of her world begins to unravel: she is assigned to a multimillion-dollar lawsuit where she must defend the very values she detests by a boss who can’t keep his hands to himself; her Grandpa Jack, a charming, feisty octogenarian and the person she cares most about in the world, is losing it, while her emotionally distant father has left her to cope with this alone; and underneath it all, fading memories of her deceased mother continue to remind her that love doesn’t last forever.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Learning when to hold on, and when to let go, are the underlying themes of Julie Buxbaum's THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE. This story clearly shows that success in life isn't measured by educational degrees, bank balances or any of the other "signs" society looks at, but by the relationships cultivated, and nourished, in a lifetime.

Opening with a painful breakup, this THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE provides a detailed peek into Emily's life. Her heart, soul and every bit of her emotional suffering is open for examination. While getting so close to another person's psyche is off-putting at times, I was captivated right from the first page by Emily's emotional investment in finding the path to happiness. Not just happiness for herself, but for those she loves.

Especially poignant is the relationship Emily shares with her grandfather. Honestly, when the elderly man goes missing, the anguish and fear that tortures Emily is so realistic it's almost too real. I felt her pain, and sighed with relief when she found him in a diner. There is honesty in telling a story whose relationships are put on the page with such stark realism. I appreciated this aspect of Ms. Buxbaum's approach more than any other.

Sometimes heartbreaking but always honest, THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE is an amazing debut novel. I can't wait to see what comes next from Julie Buxbaum.

Kay James