Praise for Inside

“ An original novel about a timeless theme: the persistent difficulty of loving and well-meaning people to connect to one another.... Ohlin writes in elegant prose that is flush with wit and style, as clever and smooth as Lorrie Moore.... The closing lines of Inside are like a rose in winter bloom. Ohlin's novel runs with an undercurrent of hopelessness. Her characters have a hollow-ness inside. But Inside is, ultimately, a novel about hope. It begins with a gesture of despair and ends with one of promise. Who are these people? They are all of us. ”

— Sean Carman, The Rumpus , on Inside
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“ Complex, delightful...[an] extremely readable blend of poignancy and sardonic humour.”

— Dory Cerny, Quill & Quire, on Inside
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“ Spanning a twelve-year period, the story moves briskly between New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Kigali, and the Inuit community of Iqaluit. As the protagonists try, and fail, to establish connections with other human beings, Ohlin charts their small victories and larger disappointments. She is skilled at making her chilly cast of characters accessible, and even their most unlikely actions make sense, thanks to her tightly drawn portraits. And, while the novel’s premise is hardly comic, its Hollywood scenes show off the author’s satiric flair.”

— The New Yorker, on Inside

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“ Ohlin’s combination of smooth prose, thematic reach and structural ambition makes for a novel that is both easily accessible and demanding in the best of ways… What’s true of all good fiction applies even more emphatically here: Inside, though fully satisfying the first time through, all but demands a second reading. It’s something most readers will be more than happy to do.”

— Ian McGillis, Montreal Gazette, on Inside
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“ A subtle, intricate novel...As these lives intersect over a decade, barriers crumble, secrets emerge, and this emotional jigsaw puzzle locks satisfyingly into place. ”

— More , on Inside
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“ Ohlin does a masterly job...This is an intelligent study of the inside that psychotherapists probe and the inside that friends and lovers share...a serious literary talent.”

— Claire Hopley, Washington Times, on Inside
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“ Superb [and] captivating… Next to brilliant phrases and scenes of laugh-eliciting satiric jabs, there are brutal, heartbreaking circumstances.”

— Brett Joseph Grubisic, The National Post, on Inside
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“ Can any of us really save another person?  Or is each of us solely responsible for his or her own life?  That's the question lurking behind [this] astute novel... Ohlin is a master short-story writer (see Signs and Wonders), and the early chapters may feel like discrete tales. Very soon, though, you'll see how they're all intertwined.”

— Leigh Newman, Oprah.com, on Inside
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“ A twisty, clever and captivating read...this cunning writer yanks you inside her world.”

— Mary Pols, San Francisco Chronicle, on Inside
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“ A writer who should be famous...Ohlin has as unsettling an old soul as Leonard Cohen's.”

— T.F. Rigelhof, The Globe and Mail, on Inside
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“ Alix Ohlin’s wondrously engrossing Inside and Signs and Wonders display her characteristic strengths—dynamic plots, keenly observed settings, and characters so idiosyncratic, ambivalent, and contradictory they could be your family, your neighbors, people you work with…..She has a rare gift for examining the confusions of the 21st century, exploring the ways in which addictions, afflictions, attractions, and random impulses shape our lives.  Her intense and beautifully shaped new novel and stories offer tentative yet illuminating answers. ”

— Jane Ciabattari, The Boston Globe , on Inside
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“ You can't help but become invested in Inside.  Ohlin displays a profound empathy for people at their least rational--and most human.”

— Entertainment Weekly, on Inside
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“ The writing is sharp, flecked with details that catch your attention like a lure, just a few pages and you’re hooked.”

— Lindsay Rainingbird, In Flight, on Inside
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“ Gripping…. Ohlin covers vast geographical and emotional territory. With extraordinary power, she takes us inside the profound and fragile connections of her deeply human characters - each searching for salvation from the past while struggling to find forgiveness and redemption in the present. This story of surprising turns, grace, and compassion left me feeling that my world and my heart had grown larger. ”

— Keith Scribner , on Inside

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“ Wow is an understatement...I envy anyone reading it for the first time. ”

— Jason Rice, Three Guys One Book , on Inside
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“ We're lucky to live in a world with a writer as gifted and as graceful as Alix Ohlin. This book is instantly engrossing, engaging, and moving. I began to think I lived inside of this beautiful and absorbing novel, so real were her characters, so complicated and human their plights.  ”

— Robin Romm , on Inside

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“ Alix Ohlin is a crazy talented writer, smart and soulful.  Inside is, in a word, stunning. ”

— Beverly Lowry , on Inside

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