Inside (Alix Ohlin)

Gush gush gush... swoon swoon swoon. I have a readers crush. I read Ohlin's Signs and Wonders, a superb book of short stories (and i'm usually not one for shorts) so I thought I would give her full novel a try and am soooooo glad I did. It follows 4 characters someone connected throughout a ten year period. The stories are great but the writing sucks you in. It's not pretentious or oversimplified, just good. We witness what it's like to love, hide, runaway, accept, ignore, feel or not feel and it's so achingly beautifully written I dare call it poetry. (i hate poetry but hear that when people use this word it's normally a good thing). Ohlin is a keen observer of the world and transfers what humans experience perfectly on the page. It's about men and women, jobs, kids, losing someone, gaining someone and everything in between. Wish I took more time with it but could not put it down. I highly recommend it.