{"product_id":"as-if-9780374620332","title":"As If","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A surreal existential caper exploring identity and performance, midlife purpose and regret, and the difficulty of finding--and escaping--yourself. Sly, absurd and poignant, it is a triumph of narrative voice.\" \u003c\/b\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator \u003c\/i\u003e(UK) \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTwo men meet in an apartment in London. They are strangers to one another, and yet they look remarkably alike. Lewis is grieving his dead wife; Korine is hiding from his very-much-alive one. Lewis never had children; Korine has just walked out on his. Lewis is a retired actor whose career never amounted to much beyond a bit part on a B-list sitcom; Korine has always dreamed of acting. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSlowly and then all at once, each begins to live on the other's behalf. As Korine answers a casting call under Lewis's name, Lewis finds himself playing father to the other man's son. Each day the strange ruse becomes truer and stranger, more entrenched. Plunged into an existential game of cat-and-mouse, pursuit and retreat, they find that acting might make it possible to, finally, live. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIsabel Waidner's \u003ci\u003eAs If\u003c\/i\u003e is a wily, propulsive, and unusually wise novel about what happens when we fall out of our roles and attempt to make new ones: a tale of thwarted expectation, renewed ambition, and the possibility of escape. It is the story of two men, or maybe one: a love story and a ghost story both. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This is a stunning book with much to say about how grief can alter our life (or lives). A towering achievement from one of contemporary literature's most original minds.\" \u003c\/b\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003e(Starred)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Fsg Originals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/16\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780374620332\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.25h x 5.38w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/13\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Isabel Waidner","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52452342530229,"sku":"9780374620332","price":15.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_f86a1c57-e30f-4063-afcb-34e6655d7176.jpg?v=1776826847","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/as-if-9780374620332","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}