{"product_id":"9780316175296","title":"The Pale King","description":"The agents at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois, appear ordinary enough to newly arrived trainee David Foster Wallace. But as he immerses himself in a routine so tedious and repetitive that new employees receive boredom-survival training, he learns of the extraordinary variety of personalities drawn to this strange calling. And he has arrived at a moment when forces within the IRS are plotting to eliminate even what little humanity and dignity the work still has.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Pale King\u003c\/i\u003e remained unfinished at the time of David Foster Wallace's death, but it is a deeply compelling and satisfying novel, hilarious and fearless and as original as anything Wallace ever undertook. It grapples directly with ultimate questions--questions of life's meaning and of the value of work and society--through characters imagined with the interior force and generosity that were Wallace's unique gifts. Along the way it suggests a new idea of heroism and commands infinite respect for one of the most daring writers of our time.","brand":"Little, Brown and Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47102095884528,"sku":"9780316175296","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780316175296_p0.jpg?v=1763679491","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780316175296","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}