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Alix Ohlin

Biography

Alix Ohlin

Alix Ohlin is the author of six books, including DUAL CITIZENS, which was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Best American Short Stories and many other places. She lives in Vancouver, where she is the Director of the UBC School of Creative Writing.

Alix Ohlin

Books by Alix Ohlin

by Alix Ohlin - Fiction, Short Stories

WE WANT WHAT WE WANT is a collection of surprising, darkly funny stories of people testing the boundaries of their lives. In "Money, Geography, Youth," Vanessa finds out that her father is engaged to her childhood best friend. She responds by turning to a different old friendship for her own, unique diversion. In "The Brooks Brothers Guru," Amanda rescues her gawky cousin from a cult, only to discover clean-cut, well-dressed men living in a beautiful home, leading her to wonder what freedoms she might willingly trade away for a life of such elegant comfort. And in "The Universal Particular," Tamar welcomes her husband's young stepcousin from Somalia into their home, only to find their cool suburban life knocked askew in ways they cannot quite understand.

by Alix Ohlin - Fiction, Women's Fiction

Raised in Montreal by their disinterested single mother, half-sisters Lark and Robin form a fierce team in spite of their differences. When Lark flees to America to attend college, her sister soon joins her. But even as Lark discovers a calling working in documentary film, she struggles with self-doubt, and Robin chafes against the demands of studying piano at Juilliard. Their bond strains under increasing pressure until it breaks. Years later, Lark’s life is in tatters and Robin’s is wilder than ever. As Lark tries to take charge of her destiny, she discovers that despite the difficulties of their relationship, there is only one person she can truly rely on: her sister.