THE OPPOSITE OF LONELINESS | Book Review

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Title: The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories

Author: Marina Keegan

Originally Published: 2014

Page Count: 208 pages

Genre: Non-fiction / Short Stories / Essays / Memoir

Published by: Simon & Schuster UK

Date Read: August 28 - September 9 2015

I don't really recall when I first heard about this book, I just remember thinking instantly that if I found it, I'd have to buy it. These thoughts transpired from Keegan's devastating reality, but also because of the titular article, which resonated with me.

As you're probably aware if you've seen this book around, Keegan 

"had a play that was to be produced at the New York International Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at the New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash. " This book documents her writings, both fiction and non-fiction, and acts as some form of memoir for the very talented graduate. 

First of all I must say that her writing is impeccable. A lot of the time I felt like I was reading some award-winning writer with years of experience, and that is certainly a credit to her. When Marina describes things she knows about and things she's so intensely passionate about her talent really shines from the pages. 

Let's talk fiction. The short stories were a mix for me. Some of them were heartbreakingly raw and real, and others fell rather flat. I think that could lie with my attention span, but also the lack of editing this work has probably gone through. I absolutely adored the short stories "Cold Pastoral" and "Winter Break".

Now non-fiction. I think her strengths lied here, whilst she was a fantastic writer regardless, you can feel her passion and confusion so much more in her actual words. I really loved 'Against the Grain' and 'Stability in Motion', but ones where I felt real emotion that almost had me weeping because their words rang so true, were the final piece, 'Song for the Special', and the opening, titular one, 'The Opposite of Loneliness'. In those few pages Keegan captured our innocence and our confusion as graduates and young people. She perfectly depicted our feelings and our hopes. When you match those two pieces against her reality, the heartbreaking nature of this collection becomes all too real, and when I put down the book I had to think for a bit and process everything this talented author had just said. An excellent body of work.

★★★★☆ (but maybe 5, I can't quite decide)