{"product_id":"the-end-of-the-world-is-a-cul-de-sac-isbn-9780593540930","title":"The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac","description":"\u003cb\u003eBrilliant, dark stories of women’s lives by “a very major talent” (Joseph O\u003cb\u003e’\u003c\/b\u003eConnor, \u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn these visceral, stunningly crafted stories by the author of the much-acclaimed \u003ci\u003eTrespasses\u003c\/i\u003e, women’s lives are etched by poverty—material, emotional, sexual—but also splashed by beauty, sometimes even joy, as they search for the good in the cards they’ve been dealt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA wife is abandoned by her new husband in a derelict housing estate, with blood on her hands. An expectant mother’s worst fears about her husband’s entanglement with a teenage girl are confirmed. A sister is tormented by visions of the man her brother murdered during the Troubles. A woman struggles to forgive herself after an abortion threatens to destroy her marriage. Plumbing the depths of intimacy, violence, and redemption, these stories are “dazzling, heartbreaking . . . keen to share the lessons of a lifetime” (\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe End of the World is a Cul de Sac\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Kennedy’s droll wit and spot-on dialogue brilliantly illuminate her characters’ travails.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These gritty stories are marked by dark wit and avid artistry. . . . Literature with backbone.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These are lives in progress, bolstered by richly imagined back stories, that we dip into for a critical moment or stage…Kennedy packs these stories with life. . . entrancing.” \u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eStar-Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Quietly bleak and deliciously detailed.” \u003cb\u003e—Shondaland\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Dazzling. . . . Brace for a tense and provocative examination of women’s lives, and how perseverance can push you through the direst circumstances.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eReal Simple\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A contemporary publishing unicorn: a work of extraordinary craftsmanship, written by someone who knows something about life.” \u003cb\u003e—Compact Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This taut, sometimes surreal collection is all about women's lives and it dives to gut-twisting depths and soars to dizzying heights. Perfect for women and anyone who's ever met one.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eGood Housekeeping\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the most exciting voices in Irish literature.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Irish in its lyricism and landscape, universal in its portrayal of the vagaries of the heart.”\u003cb\u003e —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003e(starred)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Incisive stories [of] women at precipitous turning points in their lives. … Each story reverberates with a sense of the far-reaching effect of choices made or imposed. It adds up to a remarkable and cohesive collection.” —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Like fifteen novels squeezed between two covers, ready to blow your mind. The only other writer I can think of who packs this much moving, terrible life into each story is Alice Munro.” —\u003cb\u003eEmma Donoghue\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dazzling, heartbreaking . . . these fifteen taut tales recall Annie Proulx at her best: salty, wise, droll and keen to share the lessons of a lifetime.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Gritty, bitter, hard-won. . . Kennedy's voice, and her unforgiving gaze, are electric.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I love Kennedy's vividly conjured reality. Her prose is so alive, I am surprised that the book stays shut when you close it.” —\u003cb\u003eAnne Enright\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Darkly funny, beautifully crafted, intense - this is an outstanding first collection from a natural story writer” —\u003cb\u003eKevin Barry\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eLouise Kennedy\u003c\/b\u003e is the internationally bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eTrespasses\u003c\/i\u003e, which was a finalist for the Women’s Prize, and the story collection \u003ci\u003eThe End of the World Is a Cul de Sac\u003c\/i\u003e. Before starting her writing career, she worked as a chef for almost thirty years. She lives in Sligo, Ireland.","brand":"Riverhead Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301867016421,"sku":"NP9780593540930","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593540930.jpg?v=1767739186","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-end-of-the-world-is-a-cul-de-sac-isbn-9780593540930","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}