{"product_id":"book-cm5w","title":"The Sadness of Beautiful Things","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn exquisite new collection of short stories from award-winning author Simon Van Booy.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the past decade, Simon Van Booy has been listening to people’s stories. With these personal accounts as a starting point, he has crafted a powerful collection of short fiction that takes readers into the innermost lives of everyday people. From a family saved from ruin by a mysterious benefactor, to a downtrodden boxer who shows unexpected kindness to a mugger, these masterfully written tales reveal not only the precarious balance maintained between grief and happiness in our lives, but also how the echoes of personal tragedy can shape us for the better. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Van Booy’s stories are somehow like paintings the characters walk out of, and keep walking.” —\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Simon Van Booy knows a great deal about the complex longings of the human heart.\" --Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eA Good Scent from a Strange Mountain\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAudiobook Table of Contents:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eA Sacrifice\u003c\/i\u003e, read by Alana Kerr Collins\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Green\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBlanket\u003c\/i\u003e, read by James Fouhey\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ePlaying with Dolls\u003c\/i\u003e, read by Simon van Booy\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Pigeon\u003c\/i\u003e, read by Giordan Diaz\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Hitchhiker\u003c\/i\u003e, read by Alana Kerr Collins\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eNot Dying\u003c\/i\u003e, read by Darren Burrows\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Saddest Case of True Love\u003c\/i\u003e, read by Simon van Booy\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Doorman\u003c\/i\u003e, read by James Fouhey","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49330287903024,"sku":"BDcm5w","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/296957-cm5w-Square.jpg?v=1733770991","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-cm5w","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}