might derail readers wlio actually carernabout such iuesscuhals. Wise ones, however,rnwou’t let it get in their way because,rnwhether the book is autobiographical orrnnot, its great fun lies in Cherry’s fond, unflincliingrne’e and perfect verbal pitch.rnThis is Chcrr’s sixth full-length bookrnof fiction, but the first for me, althoughrnI’ve long admired her poems. She’srnsmart, daring, rueful, funnv. F.vcn better,rnlike an- good poet, she reconstructs thernchaotic deconstructed universe withrnstartling, dead-on metaphors. Her stor-rntelling action is capable —she gets usrnfrom point A to point B —but she’s at herrnver- best when she hovers over some observation,rnlaving the language on with arntrowel. Take this wr’, tender descripfionrnof a man Nina loves:rnLike most academics, he was deracinated,rna man for all locales. Pittsburgh,rnCharlottesville, Palo Altornhad been some of the points on hisrntrajector’, but weren’t they all thernsame, intellectualK’ homogenousrnno matter how ethnically diverse,rnone big reading list? He had thernpampered academic’s exuberantrndesire to sec Hie wodd benefit fromrnhis thinking. He was generous andrnignorant, a middle-aged man in arnpreserve for middle-aged males, arnplace where middle-aged malesrngrazed on grants or snoozed the afternoonrnawa- in endowed chairs, arnplace where they had a kind ofrnmental sex in insfitutes (F.salens forrnthe mind, these “histitutes for Research”)rnand grew fat on footnotesrn—perpetrated bv friends inrnother preserves —and cited the fewarticlesrnthev’d written.rnWe all know that man; KelK Cherrv likesrnhim.rnrhere’s humor and —perhaps evenrnrarer these davs—good humor throughoutrnthese stories. The book’s comedicrnand philosophical zenith is the chapterrnimmortalizing Nina’s forever-unnamedrn”little dog,” her “Cairn-bairn.” Never didrnI dream that a dog expressing its anal sacsrnb “scooting” (precise veterinar- term)rnacross the carpet could make me howlrnin an airport—or that such a fimc-lionoredrncanine urge might make a grandrnmetaphor. “There is an itch so privaternthat most people will discuss it onlv withrntheir doctor,” Nina sas. “Seems to mcrn[writers arc] all expressing our anal sacs,rntoo.” God help us, she’s right.rnIt would be eas’ to create a l^leak stilllifernwith these characters, but Cherrvrndoesn’t. She is involved with fiienr, kindrnto them, and tiiev are kind to each otherrnin their inept human wav. These peoplernthrive by their stubborn involvementrnwith each other. The came togetherrnfrom all corners of the country and havernformed a family, sharing parenting tipsrnand divorces and beer from coolers.rnNina’s dog once ate all of her earrings,rnand the vet told her to take him for a walkrnand “see what comes out.” Thcv allrncame out. She washed them, her ftitherrnsterilized them, and although she couldrnnever bring herself to wear them again,rnshe cordd also never throw tliem awa’:rnThey were a reminder of her inolvementrnin loving her “little dog,” now aging,rnand her fadier, now dead. “I think,rnsomefimes, about the survialist,” Ninarnsays. “I think we surive, if we surie,rnnot by taking to the hills and feeding onrnwliafs there, unprocessed, but b’ beingrnprocessed. Something swallows us andrnwe nrake a long, dark journe- at thernend —the end!—of which wc are stillrnhere, shinv and scintillating, bright asrntreasure, diamonds in the roughage.”rnjane Greer, a North Dakota staternemployee, edited and published PlainsrnPoctPv’Journal/ro;n J 98 J to J 993.rn”The college education I never had.”rnThat’s how more than one reader has described Chronicles: A Magazine of AmericanrnCulture. Chronicles makes an ideal graduation gift, both for the student about tornenter college and the one embarking on his career. .And right now, when you giverna gift subscription to someone else at onr special introdnctor- rate of only $19, yourncan renew your own subscription for onl- $28 ($11 off of our normal rate). So dornthe student in ‘our life a favor—and save some money as well.rnPlease enter the following gift subscription. irnSend Chronicles as my gift to: Your information:rn.anic Nai]irnAddrnC;ity/Statc’/.ip Cicy/St;ue//.iprn• I have entered a gift subscription for $19. Please renew my subscription at the low rate of $28.rn(I have enclosed a check for $47.)rnTo order by credit card, please call 1-800-877-5459 IrnPlease make check payable to Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, >rnP.O. Box 800, Mount Morris, IL 61054 Irn30/CHRC3NICLESrnrnrn