{"product_id":"9781250007612","title":"East of the West : A Country in Stories","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eEast of the West\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Miroslav Penkov\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Penkov's teeming stories accomplish in phrases what lesser writers take chapters to convey. . . . A collection of triumphs.\" —Susan Salter Reynolds, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA grandson tries to buy Lenin's corpse on eBay for his Communist grandfather. A failed wunderkind steals a golden cross from an Orthodox church. Every five years, a boy meets his cousin (the love of his life) in the river that divides their village into east and west. These are Miroslav Penkov's strange, unexpectedly moving visions of his home country, Bulgaria, and they are the stories that make up this beguiling and deeply felt debut. Animated by Penkov's unmatched eye for the absurd, \u003ci\u003eEast of the West \u003c\/i\u003eis a brilliant portrait of a country with its own compass.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An agile and assured debut . . . In each of these stylistically old-school yet freshly envisioned morality tales, Penkov burnishes brute circumstances to surprising beauty.” —\u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Splendid . . . These stories are not the promising work of a first-time author. They are already a promise fulfilled--wise, bright, and deep with sympathy.” —\u003ci\u003eAlec Solomita, The New Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Like Aleksandar Hemon, Ha Jin, and Edwidge Danticat, Penkov is a translingual. . . . His dexterous English prose [portrays] human beings left in limbo, without a compass.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Dallas Morning News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Penkov's stories combine toughness, vulnerability, and bravado. . . . This is a sparkling collection.” —\u003ci\u003eCatherine Taylor, The Guardian (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fantastic collection that lives up to its audacious subtitle . . . Penkov's writing style is clear and startling, filled with warmth and wisdom. . . . These are fearless, gutsy stories with tremendous impact.” —\u003ci\u003ePhiladelphia City Paper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250007612\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Picador","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40626168889550,"sku":"9781250007612","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_a00d3ced-046b-4141-aa72-5e9e56a6bded.jpg?v=1638669794","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250007612","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}