{"product_id":"the-thing-about-december-9781586422288","title":"The Thing about December","description":"\u003cb\u003eSet during the Celtic Tiger, this \"fierce\" novel \"[strikes] at the heart of what it has meant to be Irish in recent times\"--from the critically acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThe Spinning Heart \u003c\/i\u003e(John Boyne, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Heart's Invisible Furies\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"One of those beautiful, serious, fully living novels that will make you laugh out loud\"--for fans of slice-of-life Irish writers like Claire Keegan and John McGahern (\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e While the Celtic Tiger rages, and greed becomes the norm, Johnsey Cunliffe desperately tries to hold on to the familiar, even as he loses those who all his life have protected him from a harsh world. Following the deaths first of his father and then his mother, Johnsey inherits the family farm, and a healthy bank account, both of which he proves incapable of managing on his own. Village bullies and scheming land-grabbers stand in his way, no matter where he turns. Though companionship, and the promise of love, enter his life as a result of a hospital stay following a brutal beating, Johnsey remains a lonely man struggling to keep up with a world that moves faster than he does. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Set over the course of one year of Johnsey Cunliffe's life, \u003ci\u003eThe Thing About December\u003c\/i\u003e breathes with Johnsey's bewilderment, humor and agonizing self-doubt. Readers will fall in love with Johnsey in a bittersweet tale that serves as a poignant reminder that we are surrounded in life by simple souls who are nonetheless more insightful and wise than we realize, or can even imagine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Steerforth Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/26\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781586422288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.54lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.34h x 5.55w x 0.56d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2014 pg. 74\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/15\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2014 pg. 36\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Donal Ryan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45483909644469,"sku":"9781586422288","price":16.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_9393bb67-36d0-460d-b4b4-a23cb8be49b2.jpg?v=1749565777","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-thing-about-december-9781586422288","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}