{"product_id":"the-underside-of-joy","title":"The Underside of Joy","description":"\u003cp\u003eSet against the backdrop of Redwood forests and shimmering vineyards  Ser Prince Halversons compelling debut tells the story of two women  bound by an unspeakable loss  who each claims to be the mother of the same two children. To Ella Beene  happiness means living in the northern California river town of Elbow with her husband  Joe  and his two young children. Yet one summer day Joe breaks his own rule-never turn your back on the ocean-and a sleeper wave strikes him down  drowning not only the man but his many secrets. For three years  Ella has been the only mother the kids have known and has believed that their biological mother  Paige  abandoned them. But when Paige shows up at the funeral  intent on reclaiming the children  Ella soon realizes there may be more to Paige and Joes story. \"Ellas the best thing thats happened to this family \" say her close-knit Italian-American in-laws  for generations the proprietors of a local market. But their devotion quickly falters when the custody fight between mother and stepmother urgently and powerfully collides with Ellas quest for truth. The Underside of Joy is not a fairy-tale version of stepmotherhood pitting good Ella against evil Paige  but an exploration of the complex relationship of two mothers. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars-both physical and emotional-to the families deeply buried tragedies  including Italian internment camps during World War II and postpartum psychosis. Weaving a rich fictional tapestry abundantly alive with the glorious natural beauty of the novels setting  Halverson is a captivating guide through the flora and fauna of human emotion-grief and anger  shame and forgiveness  happiness and its shadow complement . . . the underside of joy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44966527336501,"sku":"ByrdShop_0525952594","price":29.22,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780525952596.jpg?v=1770566770","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-underside-of-joy","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}