{"product_id":"this-vacant-paradise-9781582438054","title":"This Vacant Paradise","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Patterson beautifully parses the consequences of one woman's fall in this memorable, penetrating, fully achieved novel.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book Review\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Story Prize and California Book Award finalist Victoria Patterson revisits Newport Beach in \u003ci\u003eThis Vacant Paradise\u003c\/i\u003e, examining the intersections of economics, class, race, sex, and family expectations during the mid-1990s. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Esther lives with her grandmother, a virulent matriarch who controls her family through her wealth. Esther knows that an advantageous marriage replete with social standing, familial and peer approval, and financial rewards will alleviate her struggles. But she has been known to self-sabotage, and her loved ones are rooting for her not to blow it with her latest beau, especially since she's at the ripe old age of thirty-three. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e All is well until she begins a tumultuous love affair with Charlie, a local college professor known for his unconventional ideals as much as for his golf game and good looks. He sets a fire inside Esther, sparking and delivering her--whether by choice or not--from the insular, safe, and stifling confines of societal expectations to an alternate, unglamorous, and indefinable course. The result is a stunning debut novel: a powerful work of fiction sure to provoke and engage. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Patterson writes with the exuberance of a natural storyteller. Her cast is rich, her narrative sinuous and masterfully structured.\" --\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Considering the subject matter--the real housewives of Orange County--Patterson's debut novel (after story collection \u003ci\u003eDrift\u003c\/i\u003e) is surprisingly sophisticated and nuanced.\" --\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Catapult\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/10\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781582438054\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.70h x 5.60w x 1.00d","brand":"Victoria Patterson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43505859133621,"sku":"9781582438054","price":15.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_7eb93178-665a-43fb-b2d6-f6768255dbec.jpg?v=1705425359","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/this-vacant-paradise-9781582438054","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}