In his newest collection of stories, Patrick Trotti has created a portrait of forgotten people living on the fringes. Featuring thirteen never before published stories, The Roles We Inherit will entertain and haunt readers. Using a direct style mixed with self-deprecating humor, these characters search for answers even though they're not entirely sure if the questions posed will lead to salvation.


A recently sober man recounts all he's been through during a panic attack while trying to reunite with the wife he fears might never come back. A young couple uses a hurricane as cover to loot an abandoned mansion to try and save their new marriage. An addict tries a new drug on the same day he's let out of the hospital for a drug-induced seizure. A young aimless man returns home to find his mother had him killed overseas in a war rather than admit to her neighbors that he's floundering.


As these stories, and others, unfold, Trotti explores the vast underbelly of society and shows us just how relatable suffering can be.