{"product_id":"9780735241398","title":"Parasol Against the Axe","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe prize-winning, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003ePeaces \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eGingerbread \u003c\/i\u003ereturns with a novel about storytelling, competitive friendship, and a triumvirate of women on a reality-bending weekend in Prague.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLiterature is full of cities that are as unique and richly described as actual characters: Dickens' London, Edith Wharton's New York, and now, Helen Oyeyemi's Prague. \u003ci\u003eParasol Against the Axe \u003c\/i\u003ecaptures the Czech capital as a living thing—one that can let you in or spit you out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Hero arrives in Prague for her friend Sophie's bachelorette weekend, she has no idea what's in store. This city has a penchant for playing gentle tricks on unsuspecting tourists. A book Hero is reading seems to be warping her mind: the text changes each time she picks it up, revealing startling new stories about the city's history. Figures from Czech lore appear during bachelorette activities and at city landmarks, offering wisdom, humor, and even a taste of treachery. When a third woman from Hero and Sophie's past appears unexpectedly, forcing them to confront their friendship head-on, their sense of reality is further blurred. Who is the duper and who is the duped, and just\u003cbr\u003ewho—or what—is shaping their story?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn adventurous, kaleidoscopic novel like only Helen Oyeyemi can write, \u003ci\u003eParasol Against the Axe \u003c\/i\u003eexplores the lines between reality and fiction: When different narratives clash, whose version is true? How much can a reader influence a story? And finally, in a battle between friends, is it better to be the parasol or the axe?","brand":"Helen Oyeyemi","offers":[{"title":"Penguin Canada |  Hardback  |  2024-03-05","offer_id":44616217035007,"sku":"9780735241398","price":37.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_5808666a-a615-44a2-9582-3a557f79f8dc.jpg?v=1703017281","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9780735241398","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}