Diane Williams, an American master of the short story who will “rewire your brain” (NPR), is back with a collection in which she once again expands the possibilities of fiction.
“Williams can do more with two sentences than most writers can do with two hundred pages.”—The New York Review of Books
“A magician of the miniature . . . Williams’ small gems are as dense and beautiful as diamonds, compressed from the carbon of daily life.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“A magician of the miniature . . . Williams’ small gems are as dense and beautiful as diamonds, compressed from the carbon of daily life.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
About the book
These stories depict ordinary moments—a visit to the doctor’s office or a married couple’s hundredth dance together—but within the quotidian, Williams delivers a lifetime of insecurities, lusts, rejections, and revelations, making her work equally discomfiting and amusing. With unmatched wit in every sentence, Williams captures whole universes in a story, delivering visionary insights into what it means to be human.
Williams’ devotees will be newly enthralled by her elegantly strange, bewitching stories in How High? — That High. Those who have yet to meet “the godmother of flash fiction” (The Paris Review) will find an extraordinary introduction in these pages.
These stories depict ordinary moments—a visit to the doctor’s office or a married couple’s hundredth dance together—but within the quotidian, Williams delivers a lifetime of insecurities, lusts, rejections, and revelations, making her work equally discomfiting and amusing. With unmatched wit in every sentence, Williams captures whole universes in a story, delivering visionary insights into what it means to be human.
Williams’ devotees will be newly enthralled by her elegantly strange, bewitching stories in How High? — That High. Those who have yet to meet “the godmother of flash fiction” (The Paris Review) will find an extraordinary introduction in these pages.
Also by Diane Williams
The Collected Stories of Diane Williams brings together over three hundred new and previously published short fictions—distilled works of “unsettling brilliance” (Vanity Fair) that have rewritten the rules of the American short story.
“To see years of Ms. Williams’ confounding fictions collected in so hefty a volume is like seeing snowflakes accrue into an avalanche.”—The New York Times
Available now from:
Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop • Books-a-Million • Kobo Books • Your Local Store
Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop • Books-a-Million • Kobo Books • Your Local Store
“Even the ordinary is, in the context created by Diane Williams, no longer ordinary: it is fresh, happy and peculiar—or is it we who are refreshed, happy and more peculiar than before after reading her?.” —Lydia Davis
“Diane Williams seeks to stun, in something near the literal sense of the word.”—The New Republic
“One of America’s most exciting violators of habit.”—Los Angeles Times
“The new stories are like the old stories in the pleasures they deliver, starting with Williams’s irresistible, inimitable opening sentences . . . How High? – That High is a slyly amusing book; even the darker stories veer into humor.”—BOMB Magazine
“Diane Williams seeks to stun, in something near the literal sense of the word.”—The New Republic
“One of America’s most exciting violators of habit.”—Los Angeles Times
“The new stories are like the old stories in the pleasures they deliver, starting with Williams’s irresistible, inimitable opening sentences . . . How High? – That High is a slyly amusing book; even the darker stories veer into humor.”—BOMB Magazine
Diane Williams is the founder and editor of the distinguished literary annual, NOON, the archive of which, as well as William’s personal literary archive, was acquired in 2014 by the Lilly Library. She is the author of eight previous volumes of short fiction. She lives in New York City.
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