{"product_id":"the-first-day-phil-harrison-9781328505767","title":"The First Day","description":"\"Fully engaging, well-written, very imaginative . . . A wonderful debut.\" --\u003cem\u003e Irish Times\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"When you read a novel cover to cover in one day, you know it's something exceptional.\" -- John Boyne, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Outside an east Belfast mission hall, pastor and family man Samuel Orr meets Anna, a young Beckett scholar. They embark on an intense, passionate affair, their connection both intellectual and erotic. When Anna falls pregnant, the affair is revealed. The repercussions are slow to emerge but inescapable, and the fallout, when it finally comes, is shocking. \u003cbr\u003e Over thirty years later Sam, their son, is in New York, living a steady, guarded life, his childhood and family safely abandoned. But when the past once more crashes into his life, he is forced to confront the fears he has kept close all these years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Brilliantly written throughout . . . With tight, dispassionate, superbly controlled prose, Harrison channels the spirit of Don DeLillo or Camus.\" --\u003cem\u003e Irish Independent\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Harrison's elegant prose and deeply felt characters create a novel with a fiercely beating heart.\" -- \u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Written with burning intensity . . . Powerful.\" -- \u003cem\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Phil Harrison\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1328505766\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781328505767\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/23\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.70d","brand":"Phil Harrison","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46927823307007,"sku":"9781328505767","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_88abbbbf-3ef4-4351-af8a-1b9a9e3ea328.jpg?v=1749373080","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-first-day-phil-harrison-9781328505767","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}