Can't And Won't

To read Davis is to become a co-conspirator in her way of existing in the world, perplexity combined with vivid observation . . . In a universe drowning in words, Davis is a respite. What she doesn't say is as important as what she does

New York Times Book Review

Can't and Won't is the most revolutionary collection of stories by an American in twenty-five years

John Freeman, Boston Globe

Short, shorter and brilliant: a unique and dazzling body of work

Oregonian

Astonishing, touching, memorable, extraordinary . . . Even at her most poetic Davis is a storyteller

Radar

Profound, beautiful, moving . . . You will go back to a little gem that has wormed its way into your mind and stuck there, and discover that it is indeed a little gem, which sparkles a different way each time and flashes with a brief beauty or hidden meaning

Susan Hill, Spectator

Psychological richness, frequent poignancy . . . Davis hints insistently at how abundant nothingness can be when we bother to look at it

Joshua Cohen, Times Literary Supplement

Can't and Won't shows Davis using precise language to articulate the kind of ideas and impressions which are usually left to float around the subconscious

Max Liu, The Independent

I am also a massive fan of Lydia Davis so was really excited about Can't and Won't

Lauren Mayberry, The Observer