Short stories that make you question your place in the world? We’re in! Sign us up. Let’s get reading all of the damaged, odd, sardonic, full-of-heart characters in Sean Beaudoin’s new collection, Welcome Thieves, just out today. It’s full of thought-provoking conflicts, whether it’s an ex-lacrosse star starting to sell drugs or a man lying naked on the floor contemplating his past.

Bestselling author Garth Stein praises the collection as “strange and beautiful worlds.” He says that these “creations of Sean Beaudoin’s dark and sometimes brutal imagination emerge as part of a tapestry so finely woven that we don’t see the thread.”

The Dismal Science author Peter Mountford “exited this brief avalanche of stories feeling even more awake and full of delight in this ridiculous world we inhabit.”

So, we’ve collected some of the many notable quotes from several of the 12 short stories in Welcome Thieves. These offer just a little taste of what awaits you in  Beadoin’s subversive, sublime look at contemporary society.

“Except hardcore is about inclusivity and subverting exactly the sort of culture that continues to validate such a word.” – p. 4, “Nick in Nine (9) Movements”

“Each note a shard of inalterable beauty. Each note like a bug spray for the insane.” – p. 9, “Nick in Nine (9) Movements”

“Be Became a minor god of chaos and cracked ribs, the terrifying silence of a blindside tackle or unattended erection.” – p. 21, “The Rescues”

“Her eyes are wet, completely sincere. It’s an affect achieved only by the very best actors, those who jettison all claim on fidelity, on the foolish notion that there’s anything left in this world that is truly authentic.” – p. 114, “All Dreams Are Night Dreams”

“I got ninety-nine problems, and ya’ll are ninety-eight of them.” – p. 117, “All Dreams Are Night Dreams”

“I am the point guard, best player, and team captain. Which means we suck.” p. 172, “Comedy Hour”

“Stop pretending this is a movie and you’re tough. You’re not tough and this isn’t a movie.” p. 197, “Base Omega Has Twelve Dictates”

Happy Reading!