Opposite Worlds

Opposite Worlds is the follow-up to Eugene's novel Ghosters, which tells the story of Frank Walsh from the age of twelve to twenty-five. In that novel, having lost his faith, Frank leaves the seminary, home and family, and goes to London to forge a new identity. Opposite Worlds finds Frank alone and lonely in London, having been jilted by Marina, his Yugoslav girlfriend, on their wedding day. On the rebound from this, he has a passionate affair with Kalli, a gorgeous Greek singer and belly-dancer, who is a student in his class at the school in Soho where he teaches English to foreign students. When Kalli leaves him, Frank is once again left high and dry. Then one evening, in a folk club in an Irish pub, he hears a pretty young Irish girl singing and instantly falls in love with her. Her name is Mary, he contrives to meet her and she falls in love with him. Love leads to marriage - reluctantly at first on Frank's part - but their marriage proves to be a collision of two very different, indeed opposite, worlds ...

About the Author :
Eugene Vesey was born and brought up in an Irish Catholic family in Manchester, where he attended Xaverian College, a Roman Catholic preparatory and grammar school, until the age of eleven. From the age of twelve to twenty-one he continued his education at Roman Catholic seminaries in the English Lake District and English Midlands, where he also studied philosophy and theology. (His novel Ghosters is in part based on his experience of Catholic seminaries.) Having lost his religious faith and left the seminary, he graduated with an honours degree in English language and literature from the University of Manchester and obtained a postgraduate certificate in education from the University of Liverpool. He lives and works in London, where he has taught English as a foreign language in colleges for many years. He also taught on English language summer schools in Trinity College, Dublin, for many years, an experience that has left him with an abiding affection for that city, which he revisits regularly. Because of his Irish heritage he also has a deep love for Ireland and Irish culture, particularly Irish literature and music. Apart from writing he enjoys reading, listening to music, going to concerts, studying classical languages, gardening, walking and watching Manchester United. Politically Eugene describes himself as a 'democratic socialist' as well as an environmentalist who supports charities such as Greenpeace and movements such as Extinction Rebellion. He is also a vegetarian and keen supporter of animal rights charities. Opposite Worlds is a sequel to Ghosters, Eugene's first novel, and a prequel to Italian Girls, his third novel, though all his novels can be read independently. The fourth novel in the series about Frank Walsh is Hearts and Crosses. As this goes to press (October 2019) he is working on what will be the fifth novel in the series. Eugene has also published two volumes of poetry, Venice and Other Poems and Thirty-Nine Poems. All Eugene's books are available on Amazon. Eugene is on Facebook and may be contacted directly at eugenekvesey@gmail. com. Finally, who is Eugene's favourite writer? With his love for Dublin and Ireland, it has to be James Joyce, even if ironically Joyce himself was a refugee from both!