“Tough Love is Thomas Shess at full stride, and fair warning—he does not play it safe. These stories roam from San Francisco to Paris to Barcelona with a confidence that feels earned, not borrowed. Shess has a knack for dropping you into a room—a bar, a bed, a quiet corner of regret—and making you feel like you’ve been there too long already.
His characters don’t ask for your attention; they take it. They are flawed, seductive, reckless, and often one bad decision away from disaster. The dialogue crackles, the situations turn on a dime, and beneath it all runs a current of longing that gives the collection its weight.
What sets Tough Love apart is Shess’s voice—wry, knowing, and just a little dangerous. He writes like a man who understands both the thrill and the cost of desire. These are not tidy stories, nor should they be. They linger, they unsettle, and, at their best, they hit with the quiet force of recognition.
A sharp, stylish collection that reminds you love and trouble have always been close companions.”CHRIS BARNETT, SAN FRANCISCO-BASED NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE JOURNALIST.