{"product_id":"a-heaven-of-their-choosing-joann-smith-9781736176740","title":"A Heaven of Their Choosing","description":"\u003cp\u003eA widow plans her husband's funeral feeling as much resentment towards him as grief. A mother believes her young son has the DNA of a long-dead ex-boyfriend. A woman becomes obsessed with a drifter who stands in the same spot every day in her neighborhood. A couple grieving a series of miscarriages set out to adopt in China, only to get pregnant again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn thirteen stories that explore the complexities and messiness of faith, marriage, illness, and grief, Joann Smith's \u003cem\u003eA Heaven of Their Choosing\u003c\/em\u003e is a wise debut collection for fans of Grace Paley or Alice Munro.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Reading \u003cem\u003eA Heaven of Their Choosing\u003c\/em\u003e is like touring a set of rooms inside the enormous house of fiction. At the center of each sits a character, often isolated and regretful, whose interior is revealed with a candor and dead-pan irony reminiscent of the stories of John McGahern and even Joyce. Like them, Smith knows how to invade people's privacy while keeping a steady eye on the everyday world around them. And sometimes, lives defined by boredom and limitation are lifted by event into insight and wonder. She is a writerly writer, whose stories will appeal to readers who wish to experience not just what happens next but how, sentence by sentence, it manages to happen at all.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States 2001-3\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Joann Smith's \u003cem\u003eA Heaven of Their Choosing\u003c\/em\u003e is a collection of authentic, gut-wrenching, raw, hold-your-breath, can't-put-them-down, stories. There is a miracle in these pages that transports the reader to the place where art transcends us, a place where it is possible to simultaneously feel pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow, and reach an epiphany: there is hope for us all. It is a collection one will return to again and again and again.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Patricia Dunn, author of \u003cem\u003eRebels By Accident\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLast Stop on the 6\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I was riveted by \u003cem\u003eA Heaven of Their Choosing\u003c\/em\u003e. With a flair for mesmerizing irony inside of unerring truths, Smith delves into the power of language in our lives. From a wife's correspondence hidden in a honeymoon suitcase to a young employee at a gun shop's curiosity about a customer's choice of target, Smith delivers a collection of exquisite stories that will make you look at yourself and the choices in your life anew.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e--Jimin Han, author of \u003cem\u003eA Small Revolution\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Apology\u003c\/em\u003e, forthcoming in 2023.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joann Smith\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1736176749\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781736176740\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.13 Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/22\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 168\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.48lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.39d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001","brand":"Joann Smith","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44048163242239,"sku":"9781736176740","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_72cb296b-c273-4b27-8656-f75d5a883406.jpg?v=1684994254","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-heaven-of-their-choosing-joann-smith-9781736176740","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}