Can't and Won't

Can't and Won't is a collection of short stories that range from a few lines to several pages in length. The pieces examine everyday moments and observations through precise, minimalist prose. The stories include adaptations of Flaubert's letters, dream sequences, complaints to manufacturers, and fragments of overheard conversations. They move between first-person accounts and detached observations of strangers, between reality and imagination. The collection challenges conventional storytelling through its experimental forms and attention to the minutiae of daily life. Davis's style strips away excess to reveal core human experiences and perceptions. The book stands as a meditation on language, consciousness, and the ways people process and assign meaning to their encounters with the world. Through its unconventional approach, it raises questions about what constitutes a story and how we interpret our surroundings.

Readers found Davis's ultra-short stories either captivating or frustrating, with little middle ground. The collection received 3.7/5 on Goodreads (4,800+ ratings) and 4.2/5 on Amazon (80+ ratings). Readers appreciated: - The experimental, minimalist style - Observations of tiny moments in daily life - Dry humor and deadpan delivery - Translation-like pieces from Flaubert's letters "She can capture the essence of a relationship in two sentences" - Goodreads reviewer Common criticisms: - Too many stories about dreams - Length of pieces (some just one sentence) - Lack of emotional depth - Repetitive themes "Many felt like unfinished thoughts rather than complete works" - Amazon reviewer Professional critics tended to rate the book higher than general readers. Literary-focused reviewers on platforms like LibraryThing gave it 4.3/5 average, while mainstream reader reviews averaged 3.5/5. Several readers noted the collection works better when read slowly over time rather than straight through.

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🔖 Lydia Davis wrote many of the pieces in Can't and Won't based on actual dreams—both her own and those of her friends—marking them with the subtitle "dream" to distinguish them from her other works. 📚 The collection includes several "stories from Flaubert," which Davis translated and adapted from the letters of French novelist Gustave Flaubert, creating a unique blend of translation and original writing. ✍️ Some of the stories in the collection are only a single sentence long, with the shortest being just four words, demonstrating Davis's mastery of extreme brevity. 🏆 The book was published in 2014, shortly after Davis won the Man Booker International Prize in 2013 for her lifetime achievement in fiction. 📝 Many pieces in the collection were inspired by actual complaint letters Davis wrote to companies, including one about defective packaging on a container of frozen peas.