The Other Side of Nothing: A Novel

by Anastasia Zadeik

Overview

The day after her eighteenth birthday, Julia Reeves checks herself into a psychiatric facility, longing to find a way out of the grief and guilt that have engulfed her since her father’s untimely death. What she finds is fellow suicide attempt survivor Sam Lorenzo, a brilliant twenty-three-year-old photographer. Sam brings beauty and light back into Julia’s life, so when he asks her to escape with him on a cross-country odyssey, she agrees.

Before Julia can process what she’s done, the two young lovers are on the run.

When Julia’s mother, Laura, learns Julia has disappeared and authorities will do nothing to help find her, Laura forms an uneasy alliance with the sole person who has as much to lose as she does: Sam’s mother, Arabella. Armed with only a handful of clues, the two mothers embark on a journey of their own, desperately hoping to save their children before they are lost forever.

A moving exploration of family, friendship, and how far we are willing to go for the ones we love, The Other Side of Nothing is a powerful read about loss, self-determination, and second chances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647426682
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	05/28/2024
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	255,868
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Anastasia Zadeik is a writer, editor, and storyteller. After graduating summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a BA in psychology from Smith College, she had an international career in neuropsychological research while raising her children. She now serves as Director of Operations for the San Diego Writers Festival, as a coproducer of the San Diego Memoir Showcase, and as a mentor and board member for the literary nonprofit So Say We All. She also sits on the board of the International Memoir Writers Association.

A frequent performer of narrative non-fiction in a hushed bar or on a stage, her work has appeared in the San Diego Decameron Project, LitHub, writeordietribe.com, and the award-winning anthology Shaking the Tree: Short. Brazen. Memoir. Her debut novel, Blurred Fates (She Writes Press, August 2022), won the 2023 Sarton Award for Contemporary Fiction and the 2023 National Indie Excellence Award for Contemporary Fiction. She lives in San Diego with her husband and their empty-nest rescue dog, Charlie.

Editorial Reviews

A powerful read that packs a big punch. Anastasia Zadeik uses words to immerse us in the depths of despair across generations—and shows us what it takes to come back to the surface. She also masterfully captures the adolescent voice and makes the reader care, so much, about every character. A moving, timely story that highlights the challenges of mental health and the impact on the people who love those struggling.”
—Zibby Owens, author of Blank and podcast host of Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books

“In this profound story of love and loss, Anastasia Zadeik tackles the complexities of mental health from every angle and perspective, taking readers on an unforgettable journey that explores what we can and cannot control. Moving, insightful, and deeply compassionate, The Other Side of Nothing is a remarkable and important read.”
—J. J. Elliott, author of There Are No Rules for This

“Anastasia Zadeik's characters grab the reader from the first page as a young couple embarks on a suspenseful journey in search of beauty, connection, and meaning—heading toward a perilous precipice. The story reveals the complex and misunderstood layers of mental illness, offering insights and nurturing empathy for those who suffer and the people who love them. Recommended reading to enhance understanding of mental illness through a heart-wrenching story.”
—Linda Moore author of Attribution

“Riveting, devastating, redemptive. The Other Side of Nothing is both intimate and cosmic—intellectually, physically, and emotionally. I was holding my breath until the final pages.”
—Shelley Blanton-Stroud, author of the Jane Benjamin novels

“Mental illness is still something we don’t talk about enough. Anastasia Zadeik tackles it head-on in this moving portrayal of two suicidal young adults searching for meaning in their lives. With sensitivity and compassion, the author explores the effects of the demon of mental illness not just on the patients but also on their loved ones. Heartbreaking yet also hopeful, The Other Side of Nothing takes the reader on an unforgettable journey.”
—Jody Hadlock, author of The Lives of Diamond Bessie

“The Other Side of Nothing is a page-turning novel about young love, art, philosophy, motherhood, grief, and healing. Zadeik writes with tremendous empathy and compassion for her characters, exploring the complexities and nuances of mental illness. The characters in these pages are beautifully alive.”
—Tammy Greenwood, author of The Still Point, Keeping Lucy, and Two Rivers

"The Other Side of Nothing takes readers on a journey into the complex world of mental illness and its effects of both luminosity and shadow on the fully realized characters who inhabit this novel. Zadeik’s deep knowledge of the intricacies of mental illness and her compassionate portrayal of its ramifications make this an important and timely book.”
—Judy Reeves, author of When Your Heart Says Go

From the Publisher

2024-01-27
Zadeik’s novel offers an unflinching account of mental illness from multiple perspectives.

After Julia Reeves loses her father to cancer, she becomes despondent. She distances herself from her friends, her family, and, most of all, her mother, Laura. She then endures a clinical depression in which she uses drugs, disassociates, self-harms, and eventually attempts suicide to cover up a truth she’s hiding about her father’s death. Upon meeting with yet another therapist who fails to understand her, Julia recognizes that she must commit to hospitalization to save herself. (“Time and space had gone wonky lately; weaving in and out of weeks, an hour could feel like a year, while a day went by in a blur. The world couldn’t be counted upon to keep its form and shape.”) Julia checks in to a facility called Brookfield, where she meets Sam Lorenzo, another patient. As the two connect over aesthetic and literary interests, they fall in love. Not unlike the trajectory of mental illness, however, the narrative then takes an unexpected turn: Sam asks Julia to leave with him, and Julia follows. Laura receives a call from Brookfield reporting that Julia has disappeared; the institution can do little because Julia is over the age 18 and not a threat to herself or anyone else. Laura, joined by Sam’s mother, Arabella, crosses the country piecing together where Julia and Sam could be located in a seemingly hopeless search. The author offers an authentic-feeling depiction of mental illness and its impact on the sufferer’s loved ones. Zadeik deftly evokes the dark days of clinical depression and the rapid cycling of a mood disorder while exploring societal attitudes toward mental illness over generations. The author also beautifully depicts the unfolding and emotionally charged love story between two young people invested in philosophy, literature, and art, and she captures the heartbreaking spiral that can happen when things go awry. Alternating between the perspectives of Julia, Laura, and Arabella, this beautifully rendered narrative offers striking environmental details that mirror the characters’ perspectives while maintaining a tight plot structure.

A stunning story of mental illness and its challenges.

Kirkus Reviews