{"product_id":"2940157886455","title":"The Beginning Things","description":"\u003cb\u003eABOUT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Beginning Things\u003c\/b\u003e is a novel of lessons and of steps towards redemption. Twelve-year-old Tot Thompson, mourning the loss of her father and stranded on an island of familial dysfunction, finds a moment of importance in a neighbor's bed. Dan Grad, her recently widowed grandfather, finds a sharp-edged peace inside a bottle of Bells Whiskey. Both have lessons to learn...and strangely enough, important lessons to teach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Watch out. You can get dangerously attached to the people of Tot Thompson's world. Dangerous because the last page WILL COME and you shall realize it's only a book.\" --Carolyn Chute, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Beans of Egypt, Maine\u003c\/i\u003e and others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Beginning Things\u003c\/i\u003e contains three coming-of-age stories, all of them beautifully told with equal parts toughness and tenderness. Readers will recognize important truths about themselves and their lives as lived through Tot, the pre-teen; Elaine, Tot's single mother, and Dan, Elaine's recently widowed father-in-law. Goodjohn balances each of their stories with dry humor and a strong sense of the importance of both endings and beginnings, as well as the battles and triumphs of the in-betweens. This is a rare book, wound tight as thread around a finger, and as lyrical as everyday things fully realized. I have nothing but praise for its wise and insightful author. Enter the world of The Beginning Things, and you will not want to emerge again until the very last word.\" --Morgan Callan Rogers, author of \u003ci\u003eRed Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBunny Goodjohn\u003c\/b\u003e was born in London in 1960 and moved to the United States in 1999. She is published in both prose and poetry and her books include Sticklebacks and Snow Globes (Permanent Press 2007, Scribe 2008, Centrepolygraph 2008) and Bone Song (Briery Creek Press 2015). She teaches and directs the Writing Program at Randolph College in Lynchburg. www.bagoodjohn.com","brand":"Underground Voices","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47103955468528,"sku":"2940157886455","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940157886455_p0.jpg?v=1764105564","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940157886455","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}