“Krysl is funny, fierce, and feminist in the best possible way, and a technician of variety and resourcefulness. I read her short stories with considerable pleasure, surprise, and admiration.”
—John Updike

“Krysl's stories consistently take my breath away. I think she is brilliant and altogether rare. The stories may well be so important as to be essential to the written history of women.”
—Sandra McPherson

“Marilyn Krysl's stories sparkle with the compressed insight and hard-edged wit of a natural poet.”
—Alex Kates Shulman

….Mozart is known for turning out great arias for sopranos.

Westmoreland is known for his leather chaps. For his hearty handshake. His austerity program. His multinational corporation,. His ICBM. His mistress. His other mistress. His refrigeration car. His rational approach.

I am known for my remarkably warm response to his rational approach. I keep hot tea, a fur muff, and a burning bush at my fingertips. I turn up the heat. I draw a hot bath. I pour kerosene on the fire. I fly to Bermuda in my yellow terrycloth robe and sleep on the beach. I tan. I tan some more. At last I fuck Westmoreland on the couch thinking body heat, body heat. But it’s no good. Afterward Westmoreland is still shivering.