{"product_id":"this-impossible-life-0171","title":"This Impossible Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eUnder the Udala Trees\u003c\/i\u003e, a profoundly moving, unforgettable new epic following the aftermath of one catastrophic moment in the lives of two siblings.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"I simply could not put the book down...A wise and urgent voice in these impossible times.\" \u003c\/b\u003e-- Justin Torres\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEleven-year-old Alohan and his four-year-old sister Ivie are the children of a rainmaker, who performs elaborate rituals to bring or hold back the rain. One day, the rainmaker's luck runs out: it pours on the wrong person's wedding, and the repercussions for him and for his wife who accompanies him to the wedding are deadly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOrphaned and alone, Alohan is quickly forced into an early adulthood, charged with providing for and protecting Ivie. The two siblings become each other's entire worlds, bound by loss and loyalty. But just as they begin to build a life for themselves, a lapse of judgment leaves them entangled with a wealthy couple's nefarious scheme. The two are set on drastically different paths, constricted by the ruthlessness of those who hold great power and privilege, and those who are underfoot - who must, and will, do anything merely to survive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat unfolds is an incredible journey of crime and betrayal, misunderstanding and misfortune, spanning continents and decades: from Nigeria to the United States to Italy, and from the homes of the wealthy elites, to those of the destitute--crossing paths, at each turn, with those who steal, con, and traffic in lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the novel's heart is the love between Alohan and Ivie. Told with captivating force, insight, and compassion, \u003ci\u003eThis Impossible Life\u003c\/i\u003e is a gripping saga of two siblings' survival, and of whether the love that binds them will be enough to overcome the most unforgiving of fates.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChinelo Okparanta\u003c\/b\u003e was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Her debut short story collection, \n\u003cem\u003eHappiness, Like Water, \u003c\/em\u003e was nominated for the Nigerian Writers Award, long-listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and was a finalist for the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, as well as the Etisalat Prize for Literature. Her first novel, \n\u003cem\u003eUnder the Udala Trees, \u003c\/em\u003e was nominated for numerous awards, including the Kirkus Prize and Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was a \n\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review \u003c\/em\u003eEditor's Choice. She has published work in \n\u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, \u003c\/em\u003ethe\n\u003cem\u003e Kenyon Review, AGNI\u003c\/em\u003e, and other venues, and was named one of \n\u003cem\u003eGranta'\u003c\/em\u003es Best of Young American Novelists. She received her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and she is currently Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Swarthmore College.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chinelo Okparanta","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68068598939933,"sku":"9780358650171","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0821\/9095\/8877\/files\/9780358650171.jpg?v=1794516950","url":"https:\/\/www.anovelideaphilly.com\/products\/this-impossible-life-0171","provider":"A Novel Idea on Passyunk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}