“Abbott writes like a fallen angel. These are wild, vibrant stories, caustic and sardonic, wildly funny and bitter as grief, full of passion and perfidy. As his characters crash through burnt-over landscapes and tune into 'the talk talked by worms,' they bring us an odd kind of hope.”—Andrea Barrett
"Abbott writes about the singular moments that change our lives forever and leave us, all too often, standing knee-deep in the wreckage we've come from. His is a universe on the verge of chaos, just barely held together by the curved space of language and love. These are stories that matter, folks, matter a great deal indeed. Wet Places at Noon is subversive and compassionate. It will remind you why you started reading stories in the first place: to be enchanted, to live for a while in a world more vivid and compelling than the one you come from."—John Dufresne
“Lee Abbott is a chief reason we go to the short story for its portrayal of the unannounced life. He celebrates the immensity in each character's moment, and he captures the gorgeous, sassy, and sometimes desperately joyous music with which we enchant ourselves. Wet Places at Noon is a muscular, crafty, and fond collection by a writer who matters enormously.”—Frederick Busch