Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Missing Person
by
Alix Ohlin (Goodreads Author)
When art history grad student Lynn Fleming finds out that Wylie, her younger brother, has disappeared, she reluctantly leaves New York and returns to the dusty Albuquerque of her youth. What she finds when she arrives is more unsettling and frustrating than she could have predicted. Wylie is nowhere to be found, not in the tiny apartment he shares with a grungy band of eco...more
ebook, 304 pages
Published
December 18th 2007
by Vintage
(first published 2005)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
204)
Alix Ohlin studied at the Michener Center, which is what drew me to this novel.
I had a hard time buying the characters' ideologies. That is, I didn't believe that they were the characters' as opposed to the author's, which made me contemplate that very aspect of good fiction. What is it that makes us believe in the *beliefs* of the characters, as separate from the author? It's a critical question, and mastering it is (in my opinion) critical to the success of any text.
Though Ohlin didn't convin...more
I had a hard time buying the characters' ideologies. That is, I didn't believe that they were the characters' as opposed to the author's, which made me contemplate that very aspect of good fiction. What is it that makes us believe in the *beliefs* of the characters, as separate from the author? It's a critical question, and mastering it is (in my opinion) critical to the success of any text.
Though Ohlin didn't convin...more
Wonderful debut 'coming of age' novel about an art history major from New Mexico who returns from New York, her dissertation stalled, and confronts a whole host of demons, from her unresolved grief over her father's death, her uneasy relationship with her mother, the distance that has evolved between herself and her only sibling, her brother Wylie. Some just brilliant writing here, as in this passage:
'There was a kind of elaborate diplomacy between us. Actually, I thought, we could have used som...more
'There was a kind of elaborate diplomacy between us. Actually, I thought, we could have used som...more
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to stop for sleep, which is always a good sign. It is so much like a mystery, but it is also a family drama. Environmentalism is also a theme, or maybe just a plot device.
The evolution of Lynn's view of her family, her past, and her present progresses beautifully and believably. I would have enjoyed even a longer version of the evolution, but it is fine as is.
I think this is a debut novel. Well, well. I was impressed. The author has a good voice, if tha...more
The evolution of Lynn's view of her family, her past, and her present progresses beautifully and believably. I would have enjoyed even a longer version of the evolution, but it is fine as is.
I think this is a debut novel. Well, well. I was impressed. The author has a good voice, if tha...more
This book was okay. I enjoyed reading it until the end. I thought it really just fell flat at then end. There wasn't any resolution with any of the plot points she set up. Like how her father ended up with the Eva Kent paintings. I thought she made a big enough deal about this that there should've been a much better payoff in the end. And all the characters go back to the way they were in the beginning of the book. No major changes. So what the hell did I read all those pages for? Riddle me that...more
Jan 18, 2009
Eleanor
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
written-by-my-friends
This is a must read. My friend Alix wrote it, and it is a great book--especially for all you eco-terrorists out there (although you may be disappointed). This novel should have gotten a lot more attention than it did. Pull out the hankies, people.
This book was funny for me...I flew through it and really wanted to read it, but didn't love the characters....
The Missing Person is such a well-picked title for this book. The Missing Person could refer to so many things: the narrator's brother who disappears, but only for a short while; the narrator herself, who misses people like her father; the mysterious painter; and even all of us, who are missing things in our lives.
This is a fairly simple book, but it has layers to it that make it almost beautiful while reading. Best of all, the author doesn't find it necessary to talk above you to make herself f...more
This is a fairly simple book, but it has layers to it that make it almost beautiful while reading. Best of all, the author doesn't find it necessary to talk above you to make herself f...more
Aug 09, 2009
Laurie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
counterculture-activists,
fiction
New Yorker goes back to Albuquerque at her mother's request to find eco-warrior brother.
A little disappointing. Good writing, but not sure the story went anywhere
A very interesting author. I'm glad I found her.
When a grad student struggling to write her art history dissertation is beckoned home from NYC to New Mexico to deal with her brother, an eco-activist, wacky adventures ensue. OK, not exactly: she falls for one of her brother's cohort, becomes fascinated by two paintings bought by her late father, and has to deal with her mother's affair with a married man. The story was ok, but there was absolutely no closure and things got pretty unbelievable toward the end anyway. OK, I guess I'll give this o...more
I tried to like it, waiting to get excited, drawn in, until the very last pages, but was left bored and unsure the why I read it in the first place.
I struggled to get through this book. I wanted to know what happened, but I felt like the plot dragged a lot. And when I got to the end, there wasn't really any closure. I thought the plot sounded interested on the dust jacket, but that's where it ended...
Sep 06, 2007
Kate
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
someone going to the beach
this one is an entertaining summer beach read, but i wouldn't call it pop fiction. the author definitely has lofty aspirations, but her writing is a bit fumbly. it will keep you engaged, despite certain cringe-worthy passages.
Ohlin's descriptions of New Mexico only validate my own belief that hot and dry is a bad climatic situation.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Alix Ohlin is the author of The Missing Person, a novel; Babylon and Other Stories; and Signs and Wonders, a new collection. Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, Best New American Voices, and on public radio’s Selected Shorts. She lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, where she teaches at Lafayette College.
More about Alix Ohlin...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“We were jigsawed, meant to fit together, making a whole picture.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/boo.....more
Apr 24, 2009 11:06am