{"product_id":"9780615833842","title":"The Tub \u0026 Other Strange Tales","description":"A blend of absurdist and traditional realist fiction, these twelve tales offer an extended meditation on suffering and the loss of meaning in our modern world - a world in which characters often find themselves subject to forces over which they have little control. In \"The Tub,\" for instance, a young community college instructor wakes to discover that his fate is tied to the fluctuating water level of a tub in his backyard. In \"The Target,\" nature suddenly turns against a quiet tax advisor, and the simple life he once enjoyed rapidly dissolves. In \"We Really Do Have a Hell of a Dean,\" an anthropology professor feels compelled to fly in cannibals, a woman who breastfeeds animals, and boys who snack on tarantulas to keep his students from texting during class. And in \"Goad's First Visit,\" God turns up in the form of a wildebeest to inform poor Irk that he will be the first of his creatures to receive a soul.","brand":"Red Salamander Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50075753545968,"sku":"9780615833842","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780615833842_p0.jpg?v=1784732200","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780615833842","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}