In the forty-one stories and novella collected here, Diane Williams probes the dangerous terrain of the family romance and the eternal bafflement of being alive. In stories that are as short as prose poems and as complex as novels, Williams creates worlds that are sensual, and where quiet epiphanies are possible. The hero of the novella ""On Sexual Strength"" explores his perplexing lust for his neighbor's wife. As he crosses the boundaries of good behavior and good sense at every opportunity, he ingeniously narrates his adventure as both a tragedy and escapade. Celebrated for her linguistic inventiveness, Williams' new work of fiction continues to advance her inimitable voice.