{"product_id":"a-history-of-heartache-9781685892357","title":"A History of Heartache","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this debut collection, celebrated journalist Patrick Strickland's vivid and character-driven stories are as true to life as his award-winning reportage.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eA History of Heartache, \u003c\/i\u003e boys grow up fast in the blazing heat of North Texas, and men grow old before their time. A wayward son rides shotgun into a night he can't take back. A janitor at an abortion clinic can't outrun a ghost--or a camera. Strickland writes with clear-eyed realism and unsparing craftsmanship about common people--fathers and sons; widowers and junkies--poised on the knife-edge of hope. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith taut sentences and a wicked sense of humor, these 14 stories chart the small mercies and big mistakes that make a life: the songs we inherit, the bottles we empty, the tools we fashion from whatever's at hand. Gritty and tender in the same breath, this debut fiction collection asks what it costs to stay, what it takes to leave, and who we become when we do. Readers of Denis Johnson and Ron Rash will recognize the hard light, bruised humor, and sudden grace that burn through these pages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Patrick Strickland\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Melville House Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/21\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.44w x 0.95d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781685892357\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/16\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePatrick Strickland is an award-winning journalist and author from Texas who has reported from some fifteen countries across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, covering immigration, the rise of the far right, humanitarian catastrophes, armed conflict, and more. He was a 2024 de Groot Foundation Writer of Note. His reportage has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New Republic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Politico\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVice\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIn These Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. Based in Athens, Greece, he is the managing editor of Inkstick Media. His previous books are \u003ci\u003eAlerta! Alerta! Snapshots of Europe's Anti-Fascist Struggle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Marauders: Standing Up to Vigilantes in the American Borderlands, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eYou Can Kill Each Other After I Leave: Refugees, Fascism, and Bloodshed in Greece. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Patrick Strickland \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48229120049309,"sku":"9781685892357","price":23.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_839caf22-387c-40db-8929-9748b32c1731.jpg?v=1778575642","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/a-history-of-heartache-9781685892357","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}