Synopses & Reviews
“Sparkling . . . its all systems go for a wonderful romance . . . a charming story told with large doses of love and humour.”
-The Australian Womens Weekly
Eva Kennedy is in a rut. After seven years of working at her uncles Dublin delicatessen, her artistic aspirations have slipped by the wayside and her latest relationship has fizzled. Whatever happened to the Eva who was going to be someone? Hoping to shake things up and find inspiration, Eva takes a break and ventures to Melbourne, Australia, to visit her old friend Lainey, who, for fun, gives her an exciting new identity. Eva is now exotic and adventurous and . . . not herself.
Joseph Wheeler is a successful London designer. Unfortunately his firm is thriving at such a high level that he doesnt have time to actually design anymore. And his love life is nonexistent.
In Australia on business, Joseph meets Eva, and the sparks fly-even as Eva is stuck pretending to be someone shes not. Little does she know that Joseph has some secrets of his own. . . .
When what starts as a holiday fling quickly blossoms into something more, Joseph and Eva discover that romance can turn life upside down and inside out at the bottom of the world.
“The perfect holiday romp . . . A fresh and fun read that will win the attention of its readers for its warm and bubbly tone.”
-Irish Tattler
“There is a huge ‘aaahh factor in [Upside Down Inside Out].”
-Irish Examiner
“Refreshing . . . tongue-in-cheek fun.”
-The Sun-Herald (Australia)
Synopsis
From the international bestselling author of "The Faraday Girls" and "The Alphabet Sisters" comes a novel about love, adventure, and honesty.
Reading Group Guide
1. Whom do you relate to more-Eva or Lainey? Who do you think youd be better friends with?
2. Why do you think it was so difficult for Eva and Joseph to reveal their true identities to each other? Have you ever been in a similar situation?
3. In our modern society, people are working increasingly longer hours until they have no semblance of a normal life, like Joseph does. Why do you think this is so? What inspired Joseph to change his life?
4. Why does Eva put up with people shed rather not be around, like Dermot and Greg? Is she just too nice, or does she sell herself short? Where do you think her self-doubt stems from?
5. “Pretending to be Niamh made [Eva] feel different. It was like slipping on a confidence cloak, an invisible shield between her and the rest of the world” (page 196). Have you ever wanted to assume a new identity? If so, why, and under what circumstances?
6. Is Evas jealousy and suspicion of Lainey justified?
7. Travel is a main component of this novel, and acts as an opportunity for second chances. What is it about being in a new place that makes people shed their skins and act differently? What is the most enlightening travel experience youve ever had?
8. How do you think Josephs estrangement from his father has affected him? Do you blame his parents for not telling him the truth all this time?
9. Eva finally comes clean about her identity to Joseph, and is able to be her true self-but do you think she changed at all over the course of the trip regardless?
10. When Joseph finds out his father is an artist, his own artistic tendencies suddenly make sense. Do you think artistic talent is genetically inherited? What tendencies have been passed down to you from your family?
11. How does this novel compare to other books by Monica McInerney that youve read?
12. What did you take away from Upside Down Inside Out? Were you transported? Satisfied? Inspired?