"Kennedy's...characters are full, alive, and each story is rich and deep. He writes with wisdom, and it is perhaps this wisdom that turns some of his stories of great sorrow into something triumphant." - Andre Dubus "Thomas E. Kennedy's . . . stories pulse with humor, moral edge, and a deep sympathy for the human predicament. . . . These stories come as a gift from across the sea of a fine writer's untamed imagination." - James Carroll, National Book Award-winner "Thomas E. Kennedy's characters are smart, full of want, significantly flawed, scared, yet often hopeful. Readers can't help but be touched by the clarity and generosity that are the hallmarks of Kennedy's very literary and very human stories." - Linda Swanson-Davies, Glimmer Train ." . . shimmering with emotional honesty . . ." - The New York Times ..".wide-ranging and assured..." - The New Yorker "Thomas Kennedy is a true discovery, an author of rare intelligence and moral vision . . . compelling and beautifully written." -Alain de Botton, author of How Proust Can Change Your Life