A Kind of Dream

The 10 interconnected stories in this entertaining collection from Cherry (The Society of Friends) have in common quirkiness and loose-knit structures. The opener, “Prologue: On Familiar Terms,” introduces the reader to the family members of Nina, a writer who is the collection’s main linking thread, in entries similar to dictionary definitions. The stories also share a natural energy; Cherry, and her narrators, like to dive right in. In “The Autobiography of My Mother(s),” Tavy, Nina’s feisty adopted daughter, begins, “I’m no writer, so I’ll just stick to the facts.” And “The Only News That Matters” starts with, “Conrad looked up from his desk in the medical library to see Palmer Wright headed his way.” The shortest stories are the most nimble and lively, including, “On the Care and Handling of Infants and Small Children,” a list of loopy advice like “Don’t handle, dandle!” and “Do not squeeze the babies.” Sometimes the plot devices feel unconnected and a bit twee, such as “Shooting Star,” in which Nina’s niece, BB, deals with the death of a premature baby by going on a trip to Mongolia with her filmmaker husband, Roy. But even when Cherry rambles, she manages to engage. (May)