{"product_id":"things-are-against-us-hardcover","title":"Things Are Against Us - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLucy Ellmann\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eDiana Hope\u003c\/b\u003e (Illustrator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn Independent Best Book of 2021\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"[Ellmann] delivers these diatribes with her signature wit and humor ... Each essay is accompanied by an illustration by artist Diana Hope, which complements the colorful nature of this collection. Fans of Ellmann will likely delight in \u003cem\u003eThings Are Against Us\u003c\/em\u003e.\"--\u003cem\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe author of the Goldsmiths Prize-winning and Booker-shortlisted blockbuster \u003cem\u003eDucks, Newburyport\u003c\/em\u003e returns with a rollicking new collection of satirical essays\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. As Yeats pointed out, things have a lot to answer for. These satirical essays jauntily tackle the obstinacy, incorrigibility, and recalcitrance of things, Laura Ingalls Wilder's unimpressive descriptions of the construction of bobsleds and door latches, and the way we try to stand on our own two feet, put our best foot forward, remain footloose and fancy-free, and inevitably put our foot in it. They also cover the first suggestion the internet offers when you look up the word 'women' (spoiler: it's shoes) and other annoyances (some fatal) of male supremacy, the nobility of buttons, and what the rejection of tourists by Jordanian donkeys should mean for global travel (stop!). Ingrid Bergman and Jane Austen come into it somewhere (Helen Gurley Brown was forcibly removed). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eEarly versions of some of these essays have appeared in international outlets of record, but others are brand-new and ready for your delectation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIllustrations by Diana Hope.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere's the thing: \u003cb\u003eLucy Ellmann\u003c\/b\u003e is extremely shy. She's so awkward and self-conscious that meeting strangers, or almost anyone, exhausts her. She's lousy at remembering names. She cannot add or subtract. She hates having appointments in her diary and prefers to wear the same outfit every day. She's a helpless iconoclast much prone to anger. She's also distrustful, lazy, and easily hurt. She is not a team player. She prefers interrupting people to organising them, and cries if she doesn't get her way. She fears she's neglected everybody she knows, and vice versa--not to mention people she doesn't know. She can't stand protocol, committees, business hours, ceremonial occasions, and filling out forms. And she never wants to be carried through a crowd on a palanquin. Otherwise, the world's her oyster! She has written seven novels, including \u003cem\u003eSweet Desserts\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eGuardian \u003c\/em\u003eFiction Prize) and \u003cem\u003eDucks, Newburyport\u003c\/em\u003e (Goldsmiths Prize, James Tait Black Memorial Prize), and an illustrated book for adults, called \u003cem\u003eTom the Obscure\u003c\/em\u003e. This is her first essay collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.87 x 8.35 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 28, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51767919804704,"sku":"9781771964333","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/3c3be8237631908c41bab1f32dabe099.webp?v=1780320496","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/things-are-against-us-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}