Babylon and Other Stories

by Alix Ohlin

In their various locales--from Montreal (where a prosthetic leg casts a furious spell on its beholders) to New Mexico (where a Soviet-era exchange student redefines home for his hosts)--the characters in Babylon are coming to terms with life's epiphanies, for good or ill.

They range from the very young who, confronted with their parents' limitations, discover their own resolve, to those facing middle age and its particular indignities, no less determined to assert themselves and shape their destinies. Babylon and Other Stories showcases the wit, humor, and insight that have made Alix Ohlin one of the most admired young writers working today.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alix Ohlin is the author of The Missing Person, a novel; Babylon and Other Stories; and Signs and Wonders, a story collection. Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, Best New American Voices, and on public radio’s Selected Shorts. She lives in Vancouver, BC.

Reviews

[Ian M. Pyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting blend of stories and characters, as with all short stories we all have our favourites for reasons all our own, mostly I guess because they grabbed us in some resonating way.

The writing was wonderful, well paced, easy to read, the characters easy to relate to and therefore it was easy to get into the stories.

King of Kohlrabi, Theory of Entropy, Love to Dance at Weddings, Land of the Midnight Sun, Babylon, Trouble with the Dutchman and Tennis Partner were ones I enjoyed.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Ohlin's most recent collection of short stories (We Want What We Want, published in 2021) was a lot better than this one, but this is still a solid debut collection where she shows herself to be a highly perceptive writer. It's hard for me to explain, but Ohlin is adept at finding the locus at which someone experiences intense desire, anxiety, or humiliation and shaping each story around that. The plotlines are mostly very ordinary but her acute observations of people's motivations make them worth reading.

[EAL · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, awesome cover.

Second: I have mixed feelings about this collection. While I was reading them, I occasionally thought "this is like In the Forest of Forgetting", which is a high compliment for me. But then, the "suburbia is ugly underneath" line got repetitive, and the flashes of the fantastic (though there is no overt fantasy in this book) got fewer and farther between. It seems a lot of the contemporary short stories I've read have the same ethereal, esoteric tone.

Favorites: "A Theory of Entropy", "Land of the Midnight Sun".

Made me want to sit down and write short stories, one after another, each different and beautiful, like china plates or gelato flavors.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say this being an MFA candidate myself, but Ohlin's book definitely reads like a young writer, and her stories fall into a pretty predictable pattern - wham bam opening, dragging middle, and sudden poignant ending. Which is also exactly what I do...Still, when she's good, she's great.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read several stories from the book. While perceptive and concise, my interest was not held. The stories just weren't compelling enough for me.

[Patricia L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Ohlin seems to have a never ending series of good ideas for stories that intrigue me. I loved the child practicing piano on paper.

The Tennis Partner is amazing.
An analysis of Some Troublesome Recent Behavio(u)r is an interesting scientific report structure.

[noisy penguin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this on one of the giveaway shelves at my last job. The front cover quote makes a comparison to Lorrie Moore, so I figured I'd check it out. It's a good book of stories, but (like with the last book I grabbed that had Lorrie Moore comparisons), it didn't remind me of Lorrie Moore at all. Most of the stories left me wanting more, and some of them ended abruptly and with no explanation of why the characters did what they did, which drove me a little crazy. But overall it was good.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohlin is a terrific writer. Some of the stories are more successful than others. For me, they're more successful when I'm interested in the characters and what happens to them. The title story is great, and several others were as well.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember liking it a lot, but I can't remember a single story out of the whole book. I guess I'll have to read it again.

[Lauren Lastrapes · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those you try to put down in between stories and can't.

[Louisa]

Worth it.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alix's short stories of suburban misery are fantastic! One has even appeared in the Best American Short Stories series.

[Lis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last story is my favorite. The humor in this collection just felt like being at home for me.

[Sarah Obsesses over Books & Cookies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute perfection, this master-storyteller.

[AYLA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but truthfully nothing memorable. Feels like a collection of college writing assignments. No connection for me.

But thought it was better than Signs and Wonders.

[Gypsy36 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I may be biased by the title being a not so subtle rip off from F. Scott Fitzgerald but I just found this collection disjointed and depressing.