Acts of Contrition

Acts of Contrition, Thomas Cobb's collection of stories, is full of opposing forces. It is not a playful read. Set in the cities and deserts of the American southwest, across farmland to the lakes and towns of the northeast, fifteen stories span pre-civil war to present day. History and memory are reassembled into moments of time out of order. The characters too are in disorder, men and women who, in trying to regain control of their lives, manage to lose even more. In his first collection of stories, Acts of Contrition, Thomas Cobb pushes the envelope of comfort. As its characters see their lives spinning out of order, they make last ditch attempts to regain relationships and control, but in doing so manage to create less hope than before.

"These stories are built of small moments hauntingly rendered. And they are strong enough to bear the heft and heartbreak of adult life. The funny disorder of it all is made memorable by Mr. Cobb, and his work is worth reading, and even singing, aloud." --Fredrick Busch, "Thomas Cobb, in this stunning collection of short stories, draws unrelenting portraits of cruelty, whether it's the ravages of age in 'Ball Hawks' or the 'costly hobby' of dying in 'Oncology.' Even the 'acts of contrition' are twisted. In revealing the truths of human predatory instincts, Cobb continues to show that he is a master of characterization and one of our most daring craftsmen." --Jeffrey Greene, author of French Spirits , "What's remarkable about Thomas Cobb's stories is that they manage, simultaneously, to be so hot and so cool. He takes a bead on men and their illusions--boys, too, halfway toward the adult passion that will forever bedevil them--and what he fixes in his sights is the male animal in extremis, pained, full of longing, and finally made sympathetic by his tough and honest observation." --Rosellen Brown

THOMAS COBB grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and attended the creative writing programs at the University of Arizona and the University of Houston. He teaches writing and literature at Rhode Island College. He lives in western Rhode Island with his wife, dog, and two cats. He is the author of one published novel, Crazy Heart.