Can't and Won't

This story collection "is evidence of a writer who is in total control of her own peculiar original voice; its pleasures are unexpected and manifold" (Kate Christensen, Elle).

Lydia Davis's stories may be literal one-liners, like the pithy "Bloomington." Or they may be surprising investigations into mundane disruptions, such as "A Small Story About a Small Box of Chocolates." The stories may appear in the form of letters of complaint; they may be extracted from Flaubert's correspondence;...