{"product_id":"the-way-it-ought-to-be-9798889107958","title":"The Way It Ought to Be","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Way It Ought to Be is based on the idea that life does not always happen the way we want it to and that the only things that are important are the relationships we experience along the way - those we can't get away from, those we want but can't have, and the one we hold with ourselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWinifred Simone is in love with the life she had as a young girl and with the people from that life: her lone, childhood friend, Casey, and her ever-present mother, Maggie. Winifred and Casey spend their days in the small, rural town of Hickory in 1940s Pennsylvania; free to roam the nearby woods and isolating themselves from the rest of the world. But what seems idyllic to Winifred was anything but for Casey, a boy who always felt unloved and unlovable, despite Winifred's boundless adoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNeither one could perceive the events that take away their innocent outlook and, without a word, Casey leaves Hickory, shattering their bond. This propels Winifred on a six-year search to find her friend and love far beyond the comfort of her hometown. As the story moves from the canopied safety of the Pennsylvania woods to the exposed rawness of the California desert, Winifred continually relies on the wrong people in an attempt to find the life she is convinced she is supposed to have.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat is, until she meets two very different families, the Hixsons and the Quinns. With their help, she learns to accept and be grateful for the life she is actually living.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrimer, Martica:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eMartica Frimer is a previously published author of non-fiction and poetry. This is her first novel in which she tries to capture childhood misconceptions of friendship and love. Martica lives on the East Coast with her husband, children and grandchildren.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Austin Macauley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51764014547218,"sku":"9798889107958","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a6f57e25-4102-4c97-a89a-7b2bc6b6691b.jpg?v=1764750056","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-way-it-ought-to-be-9798889107958","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}