{"product_id":"9780812977424","title":"Absent","description":"\u003cp\u003eDalal is a young woman living in a crowded Baghdad apartment with the childless aunt and uncle who raised her. In the same building, Umm Mazin, a fortune-teller, offers her customers cures for their physical and romantic ailments, Saad the hairdresser attends to a dwindling number of female customers, and Ilham, a nurse, escapes the stark realities of her hospital job in dreams of her long-lost French mother. Despite the damaging effects of bombings and international sanctions on their world, all the residents try to maintain normal lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHoping to bring in much-needed cash by selling honey, Dalal’s uncle becomes a beekeeper, enlisting Dalal’s help in the care of these temperamental creatures. Meanwhile, Dalal falls in love for the first time–against a background of surprise arrests, personal betrayals, and a crumbling social fabric that turns neighbors into informants.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTightly crafted and full of vivid, unforgettable characters, \u003ci\u003eAbsent \u003c\/i\u003eis a haunting portrait of life under restrictions, the fragile emotional ties among family and friends, and the resilience of the human spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47015397130480,"sku":"9780812977424","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780812977424_p0.jpg?v=1763745382","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780812977424","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}