{"product_id":"9780743290371","title":"Who I Was Supposed to Be : Short Stories","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eWho I Was Supposed to Be\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Susan Perabo\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBehind every face in \u003ci\u003eWho I Was Supposed to Be\u003c\/i\u003e is a singular quirk to explore, a peculiarity to celebrate. In Susan Perabo's world, nothing can be taken for granted: here, a retired grocer takes up jewel theft in his twilight years; a data processor squanders her inheritance on one of Princess Diana's gowns; a mugging victim feigns amnesia to win back his wife. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In the tradition of Lorrie Moore, Susan Perabo's slightly off-center lens looks hard at the banal and the bizarre, and at the human condition, where she finds extraordinary magic within the smallest of gestures. Sharply written and overlaid with a mischievous wit, \u003ci\u003eWho I Was Supposed to Be\u003c\/i\u003e is an unforgettable homage to laughter, love, and wonder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\"Both sardonic and moving...[Perabo] clearly recalls how to hit home runs.\"\u003cbr\u003e -- Dana Kennedy, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In this deft collection, Perabo explores the weight of disappointment in our lives and how we try to avoid it by assuming new faces.\"\u003cbr\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"There's only one way to read Susan Perabo, and that's breathlessly. Each story in \u003ci\u003eWho I Was Supposed to Be\u003c\/i\u003e crackles with narrative electricity, and every one made me want to stand and cheer.\"\u003cbr\u003e -- Richard Russo, author of \u003ci\u003eNobody's Fool\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStraight Man\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Cleverly mixes the ordinary and the odd...a stunning collection of short gems, revealing a world both foreign and familiar.\"\u003cbr\u003e -- Cassandra West, \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780743290371\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40592623534286,"sku":"9780743290371","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/O_d9b6909e-31f6-42e0-958c-491e9a21412e.jpg?v=1637771814","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780743290371","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}