{"product_id":"the-world","title":"The World","description":"Weaving together five heartbreaking stories, Bill Gaston transforms the cruelty of life into something not only beautiful but heartwarming.\nA recently divorced, early retiree accidentally burns down his house on the day he pays off the mortgage, only to discover that for the first time in his life he’s forgotten to pay a bill: his insurance premium. An old friend of his, a middle-aged musician, prepares for her suicide to end the pain of esophageal cancer. Her father, who left his family to study Buddhism in Nepal, ends his days in a Toronto facility for Alzheimer’s patients. The three are tied together not only by their bonds of affection, but by a book called The World, written by the old man in his youth. The book, possibly biographical, tells the story of a historian who unearths a cache of letters, written in Chinese, in an abandoned leper colony off the coast of Victoria. He and the young Chinese translator fall in love, only to betray each other in the cruellest way possible, each violating what the other reveres most.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0670065838\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: LFV.0670065838.A\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Acceptable\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Gaston, Bill\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Book is in acceptable condition.  May have shelf wear, edge wear, and spine wear, but a very readable copy.  May not come with supplemental materials if applicable.  Does not include original dustcover jacket.  Possibly Ex Library Copy  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Books for Life","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46669631127749,"sku":"LFV.0670065838.A","price":20.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.booksforlife.store\/products\/the-world","provider":"Books for Life","version":"1.0","type":"link"}