"A skillful storyteller . . . attractively quick-witted and wry." --J. M. Coetzee
"Ohlin has a great eye, a great ear, and all the other equipment auguring a very successful future."--Jay McInerney
"Expect to hear her spoken of in the same reverent breath as Lorrie Moore and Joy Williams." --H[...]
These sixteen stories by the much-celebrated Alix Ohlin illuminate the connections between all of us--connections we choose to break, those broken for us, and those we find and make in spite of ourselves.[...]
1996: Grace, a psychiatrist, juggles a suicidal boyfriend and a young patient's impending abortion. 2002: Annie, a struggling actress, takes pity on a homeless girl and invites her into her New York apartment. 2006: Mitch, a divorced counsellor, finds that listening to other people's problems takes [...]
Ten years. Three lives. One truth: helping other people is infinitely simpler than helping yourself.