If you’re looking for a book that delivers on laughs, relatable characters that make you feel seen, and moments of unexpected joy, then The Opposite of Success is your next must-read. This is a delight of a novel, from debut author Eleanor Elliott Thomas.
Lorrie Hope is a sleep-deprived mother in middle-management (a stop-gap job she never meant to last twelve years), with a demanding documentary-maker best friend, Alex, who may just be about to derail the only project Lorrie’s enjoyed since joining the council.
All she wants is to get promoted, accept her body and end global warming. By Friday. Is that really too much to ask?
Throw in mining magnate, Sebastian Glup who is sponsoring Lorrie’s project, a group of eco-terrorists who are the subject of Alex’s latest doco, and a fancy party to launch Lorrie’s community gardens project. This is the perfect recipe for a day of chaotic hilarity set against a wonderfully familiar rendering of Melbourne.
The dialogue is whip-smart and there are moments peppered throughout this book which will make you laugh out loud – not an unimpressive feat for a debut. Clearly ex-lawyer, now author Eleanor Elliott Thomas has something to say and the writing chops to execute said ideas. There’s also a quirky blog over on her website – equal parts charming, funny and relatable – and the most excellent comic series she created during lockdown entitled Isolation Bear. This is one creative woman!
But back to The Opposite of Success, and our painfully real protagonist Lorrie, whose travails are a reminder that failure is always an option. As that fateful Friday spirals from bad to worse to frankly unhinged, she and Alex must reconsider what they can expect from life, love and middle management.
This is an intelligent, funny and warm debut novel about work, motherhood, friendship and the meaning of failure itself. The perfect read for the coming summer!
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