Mary Otis is fortunate enough to have a cover blurb on her book from none other than Lorrie Moore. Moore says, "Mary Otis sees things from the odd angle, which is the literary one. It makes her stories true-to-life, funny, brave, and amazing."

All of this is true. Otis's stories don't deliver the laugh-out-loud funny moments that Moore's sometimes do, but the same depth is there. Both authors share the same understanding of loneliness, awkwardness, and the perspective of the female outsider.