The Good Side of Bad

"Beverly Olevin has the rare ability to inhabit the pulsing life of her characters with such immediacy, it is impossible not to be swept away. A great read, and one that imprints an original vision of the pain, beauty, and paradox of modern life."

Elizabeth Clark-Stern, author,
Out of the Shadows

It's 2008 and there's more melting down than the economy. Peter is a successful Wall Street player until his world is turned upside down by the global economic crisis. The trick is to keep his life and career together while his sisters in Seattle struggle to hold on to jobs, homes and sanity. Younger sister Florence is losing her grip on reality...she jumped off a bridge, for starters. Mental holograms crack into the fissures of her mind as pieces fall away. Her brother and older sister, Sara, are forced to disrupt their lives in an attempt to save her. Ticking time bombs, real and imagined, challenge them to choose how they will show up for each other and for themselves. Moving between Seattle and New York, the story is told though the voices of the three siblings as they face their own crises and try to stay afloat.

With insight and empathy, Olevin explores the mysterious world of mental illness, the corruption and greed of financial markets, and the tangled ties of family. The Good Side of Bad is a finely wrought, humorous and moving journey towards compassion and the other side of loss.

"This is a quirky, wonderfully human tale of failure and redemption. It illuminates how, in hard times, adults can become children and how children can, finally, once again become adults. Although it unflinchingly takes on tough topics, it's a quick and engaging read everyone can relate to -- I certainly did."
— Sandra Tsing Loh, author Mother on Fire and Contributing Editor The Atlantic