Excitability (American Literature) - Softcover

Williams, Diane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1564781976 ISBN 13: 9781564781970

Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press, 1998

Synopsis

"Excitability" collects the best of Diane Williams' bold, often hilarious stories of love, sex, death, and the family.

About this title

About the Author:

Williams is an attorney.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

From The Nature of the Miracle: The green glass bottle rolled into, rolled out of my arms, out of my hands, and then exploded, just as it should, when it hits our bluestone floor, and spreads itself, and sparkling water, on the territory it was able to cover from our refrigerator to the back door.

The bottle used to fit tightly in my hand, easily, by the neck, and the way one thing leads to another in my mind, this means I should run away from my marriage.

I should run to the man who has told me he does not want me. He does not even like me. Except for once he took me, and my head was up almost under his arm, my neck was, and my hand went up his back and down his back, and he copied what I did to him on my back with his hand, so that I would know what it would be like, I would have an idea, and then I could run home to my marriage afterward, which is what I did before, after we were done with each other; and the way one thing leads to another in my mind, this means I should run to the man for more of it, the way one thing leads to another, first I will tell my husband, "I would not chose you for a friend," then I will run to the other man, so that I can hear him say the same thing to me.

This is unrequited love, which is always going around so you can catch it, and get sick with it, and stay home with it, or go out and go about your business getting anyone you have anything to do with sick, even if all that person has done is push the same shopping cart you pushed, so that she can go home, too, and have an accident, such as leaning over to put dishwasher powder into the dishwasher, so that she gets her eye stabbed by the tip of the bread knife, which is drip-drying in the dish rack. It is a tragedy to lose my eye, but this heroism of mine lasted only a matter of moments. From The Uncanny: Her silver hair ornament was awfully big. I saw a great emerald-diamond ring. I saw the platter of steak tartare leave its position near me and then dive away into the party crowd on the back lawn. Then I saw my own husband having the meat on a Ritz cracker. I saw it in his hand next to his mouth. I drank my iced drink while it was changing color from a deep gold color that had satisfied me deeply to a gold color that certainly did not.

I asked Mrs. Gordon Archibald what she would have done with all of the people if it had rained. I gave her a suggestion for an answer she could give me which was an antisocial answer. She had a different antisocial answer for me of her own.

After this, my husband and I went off to a dinner club where there was dancing, where a woman touched my earring. She got it to move, saying, "These are buckets!"

My husband said to me while I was swooning in his arms, "Why are all the longest dances the draggiest?"

I took this to mean that he has not loved me for a very long time. Everything means something, or it does not. I have expressed an opinion. Every effect has a source that is not unfamiliar. It's all so evil.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1564781976
• ISBN 13: 9781564781970
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 329