{"product_id":"9780062666697","title":"Stray City : A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eStray City\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Chelsey Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A thoughtful and joyous literary experience that celebrates its characters and liberally rewards its readers.”\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e—\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review, \u003c\/em\u003eEditors' Choice\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"I tore through this novel like an orphaned reader seeking a home in its ragtag yet shimmering world.\" — Carrie Brownstein\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Our ’90s nostalgia is hella high these days, and this tender, funny story made our aging hipster hearts sing.”\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e— \u003cem\u003eMarie Claire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA warm, funny, and whip-smart debut novel about rebellious youth, inconceivable motherhood, and the complications of belonging—to a city, a culture, and a family—when none of them can quite contain who you really are.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll of us were refugees of the nuclear family\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e. . .\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-three-year-old artist Andrea Morales escaped her Midwestern Catholic childhood—and the closet—to create a home and life for herself within the thriving but insular lesbian underground of Portland, Oregon. But one drunken night, reeling from a bad breakup and a friend’s betrayal, she recklessly crosses enemy lines and hooks up with a man. To her utter shock, Andrea soon discovers she’s pregnant—and despite the concerns of her astonished circle of gay friends, she decides to have the baby.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA decade later, when her precocious daughter Lucia starts asking questions about the father she’s never known, Andrea is forced to reconcile the past she hoped to leave behind with the life she’s worked so hard to build.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA thoroughly modern and original anti-romantic comedy, \u003cem\u003eStray City\u003c\/em\u003e is an unabashedly entertaining literary debut about the families we’re born into and the families we choose, about finding yourself by breaking the rules, and making bad decisions for all the right reasons.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e“This novel has everything: the circa-’99 lesbian indie-rock scene! Zines! Answering machines! . . . Our 90s nostalgia is hella high these days, and this tender, funny story made our aging hipster hearts sing.”\u003cbr\u003e“Insightful and brilliant, \u003cem\u003eStray City\u003c\/em\u003e explores the stickiness of doing what’s expected and the strange freedom born of contradiction. I tore through this novel like an orphaned reader seeking a home in its ragtag yet shimmering world.”\u003cbr\u003e“A winsome novel about love and belonging—and the possibility of discovering both in the most unlikely of places, and among the most unexpected people. Tender and smart, \u003cem\u003eStray City\u003c\/em\u003e is a fantastic debut from a huge talent.”\u003cbr\u003e“Johnson’s writing is very funny yet emotionally tender, and ultimately is a heartwarming celebration of found families and our desire to belong.”\u003cbr\u003e“Gritty and lively.”\u003cbr\u003e“This lively first novel features a lesbian reeling from a breakup who begins a befuddling affair with a man. Things don’t get any easier when she realizes she’s pregnant.”\u003cbr\u003e“Diverse and colorful . . . a vibrant portrait of a woman coming into her own, in a city also coming into its own, brimming with music, art and beauty . . . a thoughtful and joyous literary experience that celebrates its characters and liberally rewards its readers.” \u003cbr\u003e“\u003cem\u003eStray City\u003c\/em\u003e has it all. As funny as it is moving; as joyful, as radically communal, as it is lonesome . . . Honestly, one of the most absorbing, finely-tuned books I’ve had the pleasure of falling down into. Chelsey Johnson is a wonder.”\u003cbr\u003e“Written with wit and sensitivity and exquisite emotional intelligence, \u003cem\u003eStray City\u003c\/em\u003e is an absolute pleasure to read. Chelsey Johnson is one of the most refreshing new voices in literature.”\u003cbr\u003e“A humorous and heartfelt exploration of sexual identity and unconventional families.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780062666697\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Custom House","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":41115108638926,"sku":"9780062666697","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/9780062666697.jpg?v=1649825900","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780062666697","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}