{"product_id":"book-of-extraordinary-tragedies-9781636140612","title":"Book of Extraordinary Tragedies","description":"\"Joe Meno is one of those Chicago writers floating around so long that we take his sturdiness for granted. His latest, though, \u003cem\u003eBook of Extraordinary Tragedies, \u003c\/em\u003e the tale of Evergreen Park musical prodigies who reunite after ages of failure and loss, is a career best, a reminder of how unusually hopeful and buoyant Meno has remained all this time. It's a charmer and a breakthrough.\" \u003cstrong\u003e--\u003cem\u003eChicago Tribune, \u003c\/em\u003e Fall Books Preview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"As in all his tender and edgy fiction, Meno's poetic prose is infused with sweet compassion and sharp protest as he marvels over 'the beautiful failure of all human beings struggling against their own glorious mistakes' while, somehow, finding a way forward.\" \u003cstrong\u003e--\u003cem\u003eBooklist\u003c\/em\u003e, Starred Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Aleksandar and Isobel are siblings and former classical music prodigies, once destined for greatness. As the only Eastern European family growing up on their block on the far southside of Chicago, the pair were inseparable until each was forced to confront the absurdity of tragedy at an early age and abandon their musical ambitions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now in their twenties, they find themselves encountering ridiculous jobs, unfulfilling romantic relationships, and the outrageousness of ordinary life. Doomed by fate, a family history of failure, an odd mother, an absent father, and a younger brother with a peculiar fondness for catastrophes, the two siblings have all but given up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But when an illness forces Isobel and her three-year-old daughter to move back into the family home, Aleks becomes deeply involved in the endless challenges that surround his relatives. Once Isobel begins playing cello again, Aleks comes to see a world of possibility and wonder in the lives of his extraordinarily complicated family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Told in Aleks's exuberant voice, and full of as much comedy as tragedy, this entertaining novel asks, \u003cem\u003eIs it ever truly possible to separate our fates from those we've come to love?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Akashic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/06\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781636140612\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/18\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2022 pg. 30\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Joe Meno","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43600468836533,"sku":"9781636140612","price":15.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_3f442c70-468e-4a84-8d64-22cb7e774f12.jpg?v=1707209224","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/book-of-extraordinary-tragedies-9781636140612","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}