Life Skills

Louise E. Allin, a poet and short-story writer, is also an English instructor at Cambrian College.

This splendid book provides intuition and sensitivity without pathos,
and amazing versatility in its depiction of women struggling with
life’s many stages. These are journeys from innocence to awareness
involving young women travelers in Germany (“The Wall”), in Mexico
(“Levels of Existence”), and in Greece (“The Gift”). In “Life
Skills,” “The Inheritance,” and “Putting Things Away,” the
author presents women in marriage and widowhood. These full, never
stereotyped characters evoke empathy, not pity. Wesseler’s prose is
variously taut and muscular, light and delicate, depending on the
situation. The only weak link is “Northern Lights,” a story hampered
by too many characters flickering in and out too quickly, like its
strobic namesake. But all in all, Life Skills offers wonderful
entertainment and leaves the reader wanting more.