A Wild Streak: and Other Stories

Susan Manningham teaches sociology at Queen’s University in Kingston.

Ruth Latta’s perfectly crafted short stories convey the persistent
message of self-reliance and the need to march to your own drummer. When
we seek in others what we feel we lack in ourselves, we often end up
both deceived and hurt—as Amy in “Poison Ivy and Geraniums” is by
Martin Crane, a writing idol who proves to have feet of clay. Lisa, in
“Research,” is stuck in the past, clinging to the romantic memory of
a woman who cared for her as a child. Like the middle-aged mother in
“Mother Crossing,” she finds that learning the truth about a
situation can be the start of moving on. Latta’s stories explore the
world of choices and missed opportunities and leave us with the happy
message that, for many of us, there are second chances—if we are open
to change. The past may be a nice place to visit, but we shouldn’t
want to live there.