{"product_id":"9781555979768","title":"Across the China Sea: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn atmospheric and affecting novel set in rural Norway, by the award-winning author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBefore I Burn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eIn the waning days of the German occupation of Norway, Karin and her  husband move from Oslo to a tiny village in the south with their young  son, the narrator. There they aim to live out their dream of caring for  those who can’t look after themselves. They have spent months building a  modest house with rooms for patients, and it’s soon filled with three  adult men who are psychologically unstable—including Karin’s uncle Josef, who suffered a head injury in a carriage accident—and five  siblings whose parents have been declared unfit, and who are the subjects of much  conversation in the village. This small and idiosyncratic  community persists for nearly three decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter his parents’ deaths, the son returns to clean out this unusual home. The objects of  his childhood retain a talisman-like power over him, and key objects—including an  orange crate where he and his sister slept as infants,  Josef’s medal of honor, his mother’s beloved piano, and many  others—unlock vivid memories. In recounting the ways that the siblings  both are and are not a part of his family, he reveals his special  relationship with Ingrid, who cannot speak, and his sister's accidental death,  which occurred when they were playing together, and its quiet yet  tragic effects on the extended family.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith warmth, gentle  humor, and deep compassion, Gaute Heivoll portrays an unconventional  family as it navigates an uncertain and often unkind world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Graywolf Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47128421335280,"sku":"9781555979768","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781555979768_p0.jpg?v=1763756111","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781555979768","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}