We Want What We Want: Stories

If you are searching for a book of great short stories to read, then search no further. Alix Ohlin is a masterful writer whose stories are surprising in their turns of events. That is to say, these are creative and interesting takes on daily life.

One character returns home from across the world to find that her father and best friend now cohabitate and are engaged. What can she say to a former close friend who now is poised to become her stepmother? And what can she say to a father who marries someone who grew up with him in a fatherly role? Certainly, as a payoff to the title of this book, the heart does indeed want what it wants.

In another story, a cult rescue has an unexpected cast of characters and an unusual membership rejection. In yet another story, her character extends herself to an acquaintance only to discover a one-sided friendship. In all these stories, the author navigates the conundrum of relationships and how they can be lopsided, confusing, and enigmatic.