Dual Citizens

April 8, 2019
Ohlin’s third novel (after Inside) is the engrossing, intricate tale of half-sisters Lark and Robin Brossard. In their Montreal childhood, Lark, a few years older, stands in for Robin’s mother, Marianne, who is mostly absent. Creative Robin is an excellent pianist while Lark is a quiet scholar. Lark wins a scholarship to a college near Boston, and her time there is the only period she isn’t tasked with being her sister’s keeper—until Robin appears at her doorstep during Lark’s second year. Lark becomes Robin’s guardian and the sisters move to New York: Lark to graduate film school as she hones her documentary filmmaking prowess and Robin to Juilliard for piano. Most of Lark’s time is spent working as an assistant for a reclusive director (who becomes her lover) and worrying after Robin, who drops out of school and aimlessly wanders. Later, in her mid-30s, Lark is desperate for a child, but her director-lover already has a grown daughter. When an accident upends Lark’s life, their roles reverse and Robin becomes caretaker of her sister. Ohlin smartly chooses a broad scope and expertly weaves Lark and Robin’s disparate lives into a singular thread, making for an exceptional depiction of the bond between sisters. Agent: Amy Williams, the Williams Company.

Narrator Th�r�se Plummer tells the story of two half-sisters, Lark and Robin, through the memories of Lark, the elder. She reflects on their eccentric, self-absorbed Canadian mother, Marianne, the holes left by their absent American fathers, and the bonds of sisterhood that sustain, support, and, sometimes, separate them. Plummer's narration inserts personality into the voices of the many characters, engaging the listener as she navigates the miles and years contained in this complex story. Lark's memories are recounted in a measured, concise, and often breathless voice. We hear the distance, anger, and resentment Marianne feels in her trapped life. Robin, the younger sister, has confidence in her voice as she forges her own path, insisting on living life on her own terms. N.E.M. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine