{"product_id":"self-defense-9798986966342","title":"Self Defense","description":"\u003cp\u003eA morally dubious chef reacts unconventionally when he comes to believe that his prized dog has killed the pet rabbit of the middle-school girl next door; an angry, second-rate actor seeks a life-affirming path in a place that offers only oddities and dreams; two gamblers descend into chaos and despair; and a love affair between an aging Texas wildcatter and a mercurial art teacher at his son's school goes tragically awry. Crackling with raw truths and lyrical prose, the twelve stories in Corey Mertes's \u003cem\u003eSelf-Defense \u003c\/em\u003efollow their down-on-their luck protagonists through life's narrow passes to its isolated valleys below.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Cornerstone Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50456213782802,"sku":"9798986966342","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d0e030af-84c2-4a7c-a587-9ff277dacdc1.jpg?v=1729902624","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/self-defense-9798986966342","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}