Can we ever truly help the people we love? What about strangers? And if we try, what will that help cost us? Alix Ohlin’s beautiful first novel, shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller as well as the Rogers Writers’ Trust prizes, captures lives that are damaged and hopeful, as ordinary people struggle to help those around them. At the centre of Inside is Grace, a dedicated psychotherapist, who, on a snowy morning in Montreal stumbles across an attempted suicide on Mount Royale, and finds herself drawn into the life of the man she saves. Inside grows from here to tell the stories of Mitch, Grace’s ex-husband; Annie, her troubled young patient; and Tug, the man in the snow who is haunted by the horrors of the Rwandan genocide. Their stories are braided together and told over the course of a decade in prose that, even at its most grim, is filled with light and humanity. Ohlin is a bright new talent whose confidence and voice has put her in the ranks of Canada’s best veteran writers. There are no easy answers in Inside. Ohlin recognizes that we often make the most defining choices of our lives without knowing why, and then spend years searching for meaning. For Grace, Mitch, Annie, and Tug, finding that meaning is sometimes impossible, but the wonder of Inside comes from the attempt, and the grace that comes with the acceptance of life as it is.

This is a great book! Some people might find it depressing but really it is about the human condition, how we are vulnerable, not invincible. These characters are real...maybe the situations are not always plausible but it draws you in. You want to know more and sometimes you get more and sometimes you still want more. I kept wanting more. I zoomed through this book. I pick a lot of books that win awards or get short- or long-listed and this is another like that. It definitely deserves what it gets. If you are into therapy and knowing yourself more, you will really enjoy this book. I loved it!

Intricately woven stories that touch each other and see the character's struggles/thoughts (inside) and see where they journey along in life and how they manage their triumphs and challenges. Enjoyed the character's development in each of the storylines.

The main character in this novel left me wishing the author had loved her more. There were many incidental participants in the story but they weren't strong enough to really impact Grace's life. A psychologist whose patients and partners were well drawn but whose impact on all of them was limp. A decent read, but not the emotional puzzle I anticipated.