“I would describe Williams as the writer who saved my life—or my soul, if one believes such a thing exists . . . [Williams’] stories, many no longer than a page, suggest that what is left unsaid between people remains more powerful than what they have the capacity to articulate. Although Williams studied with Gordon Lish (and before that, with Philip Roth), her minimalism is distinctive for its sublimity and its spirituality, its ability to evoke the laws of a world apart.” —Merve Emre, The New Yorker

“These 34 stories, however compressed, are rooted in the dramatic potential of extramarital affairs and erotic regret . . . Fiction ought to lead us to those precipices where language fails and silence begins. You would be well advised, with a master like Williams, to take the plunge.” —The New York Times

"Williams’ small gems are as dense and beautiful as diamonds, compressed from the carbon of daily life.” —Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

“To take How High?—That High onto a subway or beach is to risk missing your stop, or a coming tsunami.” —The Millions

“The new stories are like the old stories in the pleasures they deliver, starting with Williams’s irresistible, inimitable opening sentences . . . How High? – That High is a slyly amusing book; even the darker stories veer into humor.” —BOMB Magazine

Diane Williams is the founder and editor of the distinguished literary annual, NOON, the archive of which, as well as Williams's personal literary archive, was acquired in 2014 by the Lilly Library. She is the author of ten volumes of short fiction and the recipient of four Pushcart Prizes. She lives in New York City.