'“Powell is an inordinately gifted writer.” —The New York Times Book Review “Powell has written a sometimes baffling, often fascinating, and always unique collection of short stories. . . . [He] has fun twisting language and exploring how the human mind works. . . . The author’s willingness to take risks is admirable.” —Library Journal “Powell’s stories are . . . gleefully non-narrative, aggressively stylized, linguistically inventive, and often very funny.” —The Washington Post '