Yes, Yes, Cherries

January 8, 2007
Shame, spurned love and seething desire run through the sometimes-connected stories in Otis's adroit debut collection. Several concern the hapless young Allison, who struggles through the hormonal upheaval of adolescence in the first story, "Pilgrim Girl," by becoming infatuated with her married neighbor, Rick Wingert. Rick's wife, Janie, fusses excessively over Mr. Teddy Wonderful, her cat, signaling trouble to come—both for Allison and for Mr. Teddy. In "Welcome to Yosemite," Allison, married to unemployed chronic liar Phil, gets fired for misrepresenting the concept of time to her first-grade pupils and spots Phil acting too comfortable with spacey neighbor Audrey. In "Stones," Allison, now seeing a dubious therapist after the breakup of her marriage (Phil has wandered off with Audrey), is employed at a shady investment firm and accidentally-on-purpose hits Audrey's child in the head with a rock. Other stories delve into affairs (as in the title story, "Straight and Narrow"), and though they're sharply drawn, the collection is more notable for depth than for range.