{"product_id":"9781926639628","title":"Keep It Beautiful","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis debut collection of stories teems with characters just on the fringe of the mainstream, and each story examines the mundane and abject sides of normalcy. A middle-aged woman spends her life in the slot machine pit of a rural casino where she navigates her misplaced affections for two men: one a lifelong gambler and couch-surfing cad, the other a kid in his early 20s who makes her forget her own age and place in the world. Twenty-something newlyweds Asa and Maria attempt to conceive for the first six months of their marriage. When her apparent dream of becoming a mother doesn't pan out quickly, Maria distances herself from Asa. A septuagenarian utilizes younger shoppers as pawns to make her weekly grocery-store jaunt that much easier to navigate. Each of the characters find humor and beauty in unlikely places, while often playing victim—or at times accomplice—to their circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tightrope Books, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47050880549104,"sku":"9781926639628","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781926639628_p0.jpg?v=1763635576","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781926639628","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}