The Sadness of Beautiful Things

Stories

By: Simon Van Booy

Narrated by: Simon Van Booy, Alana Kerr Collins, James Fouhey, Giordan Diaz, Darren Burrows

An exquisite new collection of short stories from award-winning author Simon Van Booy.

Over the past decade, Simon Van Booy has been listening to people’s stories. With these personal accounts as a starting point, he has crafted a powerful collection of short fiction that takes readers into the innermost lives of everyday people. From a family saved from ruin by a mysterious benefactor, to a downtrodden boxer who shows unexpected kindness to a mugger, these masterfully written tales reveal not only the precarious balance maintained between grief and happiness in our lives, but also how the echoes of personal tragedy can shape us for the better.

“Van Booy’s stories are somehow like paintings the characters walk out of, and keep walking.” —Los Angeles Times

"Simon Van Booy knows a great deal about the complex longings of the human heart." --Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

Audiobook Table of Contents:
A Sacrifice, read by Alana Kerr Collins
The Green Blanket, read by James Fouhey
Playing with Dolls, read by Simon van Booy
The Pigeon, read by Giordan Diaz
The Hitchhiker, read by Alana Kerr Collins
Not Dying, read by Darren Burrows
The Saddest Case of True Love, read by Simon van Booy
The Doorman, read by James Fouhey

Heartwarming tales

Simon Van Booy is truly a masterful storyteller. The poignant tales in this collection seem to come from another time, echoing the deep humanity of such legends as Issac Bashevis Singer and James Joyce.
His ability to reach a reader’s soul is without peer and for this we are so fortunate. Highly recommended!

Amazing Tales

This book was incredible and left me wondering. The diversity of stories struck like a cross-section of humanity.