{"product_id":"census-9780062676146","title":"Census","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNAMED A RECOMMENDED BOOK OF 2018 BY \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e-\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eChicago Reader \u003cem\u003e-\u003c\/em\u003e Nylon \u003cem\u003e-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Boston Globe - The\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eHuffington Post \u003cem\u003e- The Rumpus \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e-\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe AV Club -\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eSouthern Living -\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Millions - Buzzfeed - Esquire \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Publishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA powerful and moving new novel from an award-winning, acclaimed author: in the wake of a devastating revelation, a father and son journey north across a tapestry of towns\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn't have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son--a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTraveling into the country, through towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome them into their homes, others who bear the physical brand of past censuses on their ribs are wary of their presence. When they press toward the edges of civilization, the landscape grows wilder, and the towns grow farther apart and more blighted by industrial decay. As they approach \"Z,\" the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say good-bye to his son? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMysterious and evocative, \u003cem\u003eCensus\u003c\/em\u003e is a novel about free will, grief, the power of memory, and the ferocity of parental love, from one of our most captivating young writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBall, Jesse:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eJesse Ball is the author of fifteen books, and his works have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is on the faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a winner of \u003cem\u003eThe Paris Review's\u003c\/em\u003e Plimpton Prize for Fiction and the \u003cem\u003eGordon Burn\u003c\/em\u003e Prize, and was long-listed for the National Book Award. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50513793351954,"sku":"9780062676146","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2426be8e-a8ce-4145-97f8-7d1a40c02347.jpg?v=1730967241","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/census-9780062676146","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}