{"product_id":"as-if-9780374620332","title":"As If","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A surreal existential caper exploring identity and performance, midlife purpose and regret, and the difficulty of finding--and escaping--yourself. Sly, absurd and poignant, it is a triumph of narrative voice.\" \u003c\/b\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator \u003c\/i\u003e(UK) \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTwo men meet in an apartment in London. They are strangers to one another, and yet they look remarkably alike. Lewis is grieving his dead wife; Korine is hiding from his very-much-alive one. Lewis never had children; Korine has just walked out on his. Lewis is a retired actor whose career never amounted to much beyond a bit part on a B-list sitcom; Korine has always dreamed of acting. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSlowly and then all at once, each begins to live on the other's behalf. As Korine answers a casting call under Lewis's name, Lewis finds himself playing father to the other man's son. Each day the strange ruse becomes truer and stranger, more entrenched. Plunged into an existential game of cat-and-mouse, pursuit and retreat, they find that acting might make it possible to, finally, live. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIsabel Waidner's \u003ci\u003eAs If\u003c\/i\u003e is a wily, propulsive, and unusually wise novel about what happens when we fall out of our roles and attempt to make new ones: a tale of thwarted expectation, renewed ambition, and the possibility of escape. It is the story of two men, or maybe one: a love story and a ghost story both. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This is a stunning book with much to say about how grief can alter our life (or lives). A towering achievement from one of contemporary literature's most original minds.\" \u003c\/b\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003e(Starred)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Isabel Waidner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Fsg Originals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/16\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.30w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780374620332\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/13\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/08\/2026 pg. 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIsabel Waidner\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eCorey Fah Does Social Mobility\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSterling Karat Gold\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWe Are Made of Diamond Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGaudy Bauble\u003c\/i\u003e. They are the winner of the Goldsmiths Prize and cofounded the event series Queers Read This. They teach at Queen Mary University of London.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Isabel Waidner \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48483366469789,"sku":"9780374620332","price":21.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_50398feb-91a9-42fc-87e9-b8264473d732.jpg?v=1782287325","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/as-if-9780374620332","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}