{"product_id":"9781943491094","title":"Things We Do When No One Is Watching","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne Gerard character says that “childhood is a dangerous country,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand not all of us make it out alive”—a powerful theme that runs\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethrough these beautifully crafted, moving stories. Those who do\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003emake it out alive are left trying to make sense of the memories,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethose defining times when one stands at the cusp of childhood\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecomfort and the reality of violence and death and sheer bad\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eluck. Likewise there are moments when wishes come true and\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eone glimpses something pure and good. These characters move\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethrough the flicker of light and dark as they grasp and shape their\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003elife stories with sharp detail and a poignant longing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—Jill McCorkle, \u003cem\u003eLife After Life, The Cheerleader\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese beautifully constructed, visionary stories left me enthralled\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eevening after evening. The book is so close to its events and\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGerard is so skilled at turning these events into meaning that the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ereader is reminded again and again that literature is the great\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecompanion and interpreter of life. This collection—intelligent\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand big-hearted—is a gift from a master storyteller to readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—Rebecca Lee, T\u003cem\u003ehe City Is a Rising Tide\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBobca\u003c\/em\u003et\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhilip Gerard is a magnificent storyteller, and in this moving and\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epoignant collection, he manages to achieve a kind of nostalgia\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethat is alternately realistic and dreamy and, when least expected,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eswiftly punctured with brutality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—Julianna Baggott, \u003cem\u003eBurn, Pure\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BkMk Press at the University of Missouri-Kansas City","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47033938378992,"sku":"9781943491094","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781943491094_p0.jpg?v=1763789702","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781943491094","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}