Welding with Children — Tim Gautreaux

A master storyteller's triumphant, moving short fiction collection about lost souls, found love, and rediscovered tradition.

“Gautreaux's offbeat characters and infectious storyteller's tone put you in mind of Eudora Welty in a John Deere cap, or maybe Flannery O'Connor before she got religion. . . . Whatever direction this greatly talented writer turns to next, you'll want to follow him every step of the way.” -- Kirkus Reviews

Tim Gautreaux returns to the form that won him his first fans, with tales of family, sin, and redemption: from a man who realizes his grandchildren are growing up without any sense of right or wrong, and he's to blame; to a camera repairman who uncovers a young woman's secret in the undeveloped film she brings him; to a one-armed hitch-hiker who changes the life of the man who gives her a ride.

Each one a small miracle of storytelling and compassion, these stories in Welding with Children are a joyous confirmation of Tim Gautreaux's rare and generous talent.

“Insightful and delightful stories from the heart of Cajun country. . . . Gautreaux has mastered the illusion of letting a story flow in such a natural way that it seems to tell itself. His economy of language is truly impressive as he creates realistic, multifaceted characters and complex situations in the space of a few pages. . . . Highly recommended.” -- Library Journal

“Move Garrison Keilor's Lake Wobegon stories to Louisiana, add heat and Tabasco, and the result would be Welding With Children.” -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Gautreaux has perfect pitch . . . it's his fiction's coarse incongruities -- epitomized by the book's title -- that prove the limitless possibilities of limited geography.” -- The New York Times Book Review