{"product_id":"absent-9780812977424","title":"Absent","description":"Dalal 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House Publishing Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/10\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780812977424\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.39lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.71w x 0.56d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/28\/2007 pg. 36\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2007 pg. 522\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Betool Khedairi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44792598167733,"sku":"9780812977424","price":18.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_706e0dca-3056-4a38-98e9-80584597e09b.jpg?v=1731426751","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/absent-9780812977424","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}