Signs and Wonders

This collection of short stories, told by three exceptional narrators, pulls the listener into a compelling listening experience. Each narrator brings unique insights, giving each tale a distinct flavor. Whether a story is told in the voice of one of the characters or by an omniscient narrator, each is an examination of minute details and unexpected twists and turns that shine a new light on the meaning of twenty-first century lives. The narrators take Ohlin's perceptive use of language and set it to music, breathing life into the characters who allow us to recognize our own flaws amid the human search for meaning. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

April 2, 2012
Ohlin’s (Babylon and Other Stories) second winning short story collection grapples with the trappings of love and loss as the characters in each of its 16 offerings bumble through, stomaching what life has dealt them. Many of the tightly crafted vignettes follow predictable yet nonetheless engrossing plot lines, from adjusting to a divorce while on a cruise in the Galápagos (“The Cruise”), to being jilted by a once-spurned lover years after the initial flirtation (“Who Do You Love?”), to once privileged college students learning the ropes of New York City living as lowly help in arty offices (“The Assistants”). Where Ohlin really shines is in drawing out the unexpected in ordinary situations without stepping too close to the edge. In “Forks,” a doctor helps his girlfriend’s addict brother commit suicide—or so it’s implied. The almost unpalatable circumstances in “Robbing the Cradle”—a happy couple’s inability to conceive—are turned upside down when the wife seduces a teenage boy, intent on becoming pregnant and saving her marriage. The title story finds a wife forced to care for her suddenly comatose husband the night after the two decide to divorce. While not all hit their intended mark, these snippets of life’s upheavals highlight Ohlin’s keen eye for observation. Agent: Amy Williams, McCormick & Williams.