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"'I never even had an arrow before, let alone a target. And dammit I want a
bull's-eye or I'm going to throw a tantrum.' The next day she purchased $47 worth of
ovulation kits at the pharmacy."
Annie Lee Fleck is the personification of female irrationality. I can say that with
authority because, unfortunately, I recognize feminine illogic from personal experience
and I have on occasion used much the same type of thinking as the title character.
However, notwithstanding her various flaws, Annie Lee quickly becomes a personality you
care about, despite the urge to take her by the shoulders and shake her hard to restore
sound thinking.
Set in the fictional winter resort of Pike, Colorado, WAIT AND SEE, ANNIE LEE begins with
our heroine on the phone to Poison Control. In the process of making an inquiry about a
bona fide problem, she invents a nonexistent child and embroiders an entire set of
circumstances to go along with the toddler. In the weeks that follow the first call, her
need to dial up someone to discuss her "daughter's" manifold mishaps snowballs
into a near obsession. She approaches her husband about trying to have a baby, a pursuit
he at first enthusiastically embraces. But, when their efforts fail to bear fruit, Annie
Lee sinks even further into her destructive fixation, employing ever more tenuous
fertility rituals and wandering far away from normal behavior. Her husband, heretofore
endlessly patient, finally snaps and takes a head-clearing break away from his wife's
accusing glares, periods of abstinence, lethargy, and depression. When he leaves, the fun
begins, along with some much-needed introspection.
Michelle Curry Wright's first novel is full of richly drawn characters, almost too full,
each with his own set of peculiar quirks and imaginative monikers. The author seems to
enjoy naming her cast as much as Annie Lee enjoys naming her paints, another compulsion
that seizes her frequently. Each room in the Flecks' historic home is lovingly dressed
with Canary in Your House, Ada's Lilac Apron, Berrywinkle, or some other equally unique
tint distinctly befitting just the one space. The kitchen, sporting Pewter Platter, is
regularly peopled with colorful folks like Bea and Eudora Winkleman, spinster sisters
residing right next door, a pair not easily dismissed. They spew forth wise adages
throughout the story and sometimes toss in a cooking tip or two. The neighbors on the
other side don't drop in as much as does their young teenage daughter, Megan, who
surprises Annie and the reader with opinions more mature than Annie's own. The
entertainment continues with a couple of romantic side trips among the wait staff at
Mathilde's, the local fine dining spot where Annie Lee works. And then there's the
irresistible impulse that overtakes her when an overdressed and overbearing customer loses
a gigantic diamond in the restaurant. Here, Annie Lee's good judgment continues to elude
her, surfacing almost too late to be of any use.
The story's tone is predominantly light, only rarely straying into a short downturn --- a
welcome respite from the cleverness of the author's creative exuberance. It's a lively
read, with some lovely descriptive prose to stop and appreciate along the way.
WAIT AND SEE, ANNIE LEE is not great literature, nor does it pretend to be. This book is a
pleasant night draped over the arm of the Heron Wing Blue recliner, quickly devoured,
leaving a good taste in the reader's mouth. Happy ending? Wait and see.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers (KateAyersis@Home.com)
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