Gass is his own best commentator, and no reader compelled by his work should miss the preface revised and expanded to account for "these litters of language." The five tales include the celebrated novella "The Pedersen Kid," as well as "Mrs. Mean," "Icicles," "Order of Insects," and the title story.


"Sentences sweet as Godiva Chocolate, turns of phrase so luscious they verge on the lubricious, paragraphs one could live on — anyone who savored the prose of William Gass will remember it with pleasure or heartburn."
— Washington Post Book World

"These stories scrape nerve and pierce the heart. They also replenish the language. They are told sparely, hauntingly, with compassion and a remarkable exploratory courage."
— The New York Times