{"product_id":"absent-book-betool-khedairi-9780812977424","title":"Absent","description":"Dalal is a young woman living in a crowded Baghdad apartment with the childless aunt and uncle who raised her. In the same building, Umm Mazin, a fortune-teller, offers her customers cures for their physical and romantic ailments, Saad the hairdresser attends to a dwindling number of female customers, and Ilham, a nurse, escapes the stark realities of her hospital job in dreams of her long-lost French mother. Despite the damaging effects of bombings and international sanctions on their world, all the residents try to maintain normal lives. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHoping to bring in much-needed cash by selling honey, Dalal's uncle becomes a beekeeper, enlisting Dalal's help in the care of these temperamental creatures. Meanwhile, Dalal falls in love for the first time-against a background of surprise arrests, personal betrayals, and a crumbling social fabric that turns neighbors into informants. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTightly crafted and full of vivid, unforgettable characters, \u003ci\u003eAbsent \u003c\/i\u003eis a haunting portrait of life under restrictions, the fragile emotional ties among family and friends, and the resilience of the human spirit.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49571321020689,"sku":"GOR009494347","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50363216789777,"sku":"CIN0812977424G","price":6.08,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50363220754705,"sku":"CIN0812977424VG","price":5.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50880423198993,"sku":"GOR011947604","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51008319881489,"sku":"NIN9780812977424","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52136023163153,"sku":"NLS9780812977424","price":22.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0812977424.jpg?v=1750703059","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/absent-book-betool-khedairi-9780812977424","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}