In sometimes humorous and sometimes tragic, even violent contexts, the characters in these stories struggle to fathom the complexities and circumstances of their lives. Here are ordinary people trying to come to grips with the implications of where they've been, and preparing themselves for where they're headed. All these stories seek to interrogate and render in genuine and unflinching ways the nature of doubt, delusion, and surprisingly, the potentially rescuing powers of faith and grace. They are above all, honest and compassionate stories. Here is a writer you can trust; here are people you have known. (Behold Faith)

The stories in this new collection from Tom Noyes show us everyday characters weighing the evidence of their circumstances and seeking ways to understand more fully the mysteries that define their lives. The beauty of each story comes from the reckless hope of these characters, their sometimes blind faith in the possibilities of human connection. "Stories that follow truly human characters as they deal with the common problems of life, such as the death of a father and the relationship with his son, a boy struggling with illiteracy, the suicide of a loved one- all things that everyday people may deal with, but all written intriguingly to glue readers to the page. 'Spooky Action at a Distance' is deftly written and highly recommended."--Midwest Book Review "Humor, surprise, and eminently engaging narrators." NewPages.com "His command of craft allows him to unfold characters in a way that moves past mere cleverness and down into emotional tectonics of faith, affection, loyalty, and grief." Image Magazine

For a brief time in mid-nineteenth century Oneida, New York, two of the most eccentric and fascinating figures in American history crossed paths when troubled soul and soon-to-be presidential assassin Charles Guiteau threw in his lot with John Humphrey Noyes''s utopian community of "free love" believers. In The Substance of Things Hoped For, Tom Noyes--a distant relative of John Humphrey Noyes--renders this historical intersection by deftly imagining the dynamics and consequences of an ominous and unusual relationship. As Guiteau stumbles further into madness and eventually achieves infamy for his murder of President Garfield, John Humphrey Noyes is left to face the consequences of his own missteps and misunderstandings as he''s forced to make a hasty exit from Oneida. Joining Noyes and Guiteau in their parallel narratives is a chorus of other characters--family members, lovers, rivals, notable historical figures--whose haunting voices complement, undermine, complicate, and enhance Noyes''s and Guiteau''s versions of events, while also homing in on the novel''s most pressing questions, including those related to revelation, delusion, loyalty, and love.

In sometimes humorous and sometimes tragic, even violent contexts, the characters in these stories struggle to fathom the complexities and circumstances of their lives. Here are ordinary people trying to come to grips with the implications of where they've been, and preparing themselves for where they're headed. All these stories seek to interrogate and render in genuine and unflinching ways the nature of doubt, delusion, and surprisingly, the potentially rescuing powers of faith and grace. They are above all, honest and compassionate stories. Here is a writer you can trust; here are people you have known. (Behold Faith)

The stories in this new collection from Tom Noyes show us everyday characters weighing the evidence of their circumstances and seeking ways to understand more fully the mysteries that define their lives. The beauty of each story comes from the reckless hope of these characters, their sometimes blind faith in the possibilities of human connection. "Stories that follow truly human characters as they deal with the common problems of life, such as the death of a father and the relationship with his son, a boy struggling with illiteracy, the suicide of a loved one- all things that everyday people may deal with, but all written intriguingly to glue readers to the page. 'Spooky Action at a Distance' is deftly written and highly recommended."--Midwest Book Review "Humor, surprise, and eminently engaging narrators." NewPages.com "His command of craft allows him to unfold characters in a way that moves past mere cleverness and down into emotional tectonics of faith, affection, loyalty, and grief." Image Magazine

For a brief time in mid-nineteenth century Oneida, New York, two of the most eccentric and fascinating figures in American history crossed paths when troubled soul and soon-to-be presidential assassin Charles Guiteau threw in his lot with John Humphrey Noyes''s utopian community of "free love" believers. In The Substance of Things Hoped For, Tom Noyes--a distant relative of John Humphrey Noyes--renders this historical intersection by deftly imagining the dynamics and consequences of an ominous and unusual relationship. As Guiteau stumbles further into madness and eventually achieves infamy for his murder of President Garfield, John Humphrey Noyes is left to face the consequences of his own missteps and misunderstandings as he''s forced to make a hasty exit from Oneida. Joining Noyes and Guiteau in their parallel narratives is a chorus of other characters--family members, lovers, rivals, notable historical figures--whose haunting voices complement, undermine, complicate, and enhance Noyes''s and Guiteau''s versions of events, while also homing in on the novel''s most pressing questions, including those related to revelation, delusion, loyalty, and love.