Opposite of Loneliness

by Marina Keegan

The instant New York Times bestseller and publishing phenomenon: Marina Keegan's posthumous collection of award-winning essays and stories "sparkles with talent, humanity, and youth" (O, The Oprah Magazine).

Marina Keegan's star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at The New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.

Marina left behind a rich, deeply expansive trove of writing that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. Her short story "Cold Pastoral" was published on NewYorker.com. Her essay "Even Artichokes Have Doubts" was excerpted in the Financial Times, and her book was the focus of a Nicholas Kristof column in The New York Times. Millions of her contemporaries have responded to her work on social media.

As Marina wrote: "We can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over...We're so young. We can't, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it's all we have." The Opposite of Loneliness is an unforgettable collection of Marina's essays and stories that articulates the universal struggle all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to impact the world. "How do you mourn the loss of a fiery talent that was barely a tendril before it was snuffed out? Answer: Read this book. A clear-eyed observer of human nature, Keegan could take a clever idea...and make it something beautiful" (People).

• ISBN10: 1476753628
• ISBN13: 9781476753621
• Publish Date: 8 April 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 240
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lianne]

I received an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2014/04/02/review-the-opposite-of-loneliness/

Reading this collection of fiction and non-fiction pieces, it’s clear that Marina Keegan was a very talented individual who had a lot to say and a lot of stories to tell. The book blurb captures much of the essence of what she writes about: of people just trying to figure out their relationships, their lives, the course of life itself, how we value things, what’s important. One thing that really struck me as I was reading her fiction was how open and earnest her writing style was, whether it was a non-fiction essay or a short story, inviting the reader into these themes, ideas and story plots.

There’s a lot of hope and optimism that radiates through these pages: of the future, of hopes and dreams, of our youth. In a world where scepticism and wariness reigns supreme, it’s refreshing to read such hope for the possibilities that lie before us. If there’s anything at all that I take out of reading this collection, it’s this.

The Opposite of Loneliness is an impressive collection of Marina Keegan's storytelling, ideas, observations and impressions of the world. It is very sad that she was taken so soon, she had so much ahead of her. I highly recommend this book, whether you read short stories or non-fiction essays or not.