{"product_id":"un-amor-a-novel-9781948830775","title":"Un Amor: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003eSubtly in the vein of \u003ci\u003eDogville\u003c\/i\u003e or Coetzee's \u003ci\u003eDisgrace\u003c\/i\u003e, and invoking the works of Agota Kristof, \u003ci\u003eUn Amor\u003c\/i\u003e probes ideas of language, alienation, and community through the eyes of a woman who, when brought into conflict, finds herself on the potential brink of deeper awareness of herself and her place in the world.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the heels of a cryptic mistake, Nat arrives in La Escapa, an arid rural village in Spain's interior. She settles into a small, shabby house with cheap rent to begin work on her first literary translation, with a skittish and ill-tempered dog--a gift from the boorish landlord--her only company. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBurdened with assumptions about country life, Nat will enter into relationships with the handful of local inhabitants--her negligent landlord, Píter the hippie, the dementia-afflicted Roberta, the young city family who comes on weekends, the unsociable man they call \"The German\"--from whom she appears to receive a customary welcome. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMutual misunderstanding and a persistent sense of alienation, however, thrum below the surface. And when conflicts arise over repairs to the house, Nat receives an offer and makes a crucial decision. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn prose as taut and oppressive as the atmosphere in La Escapa, \u003ci\u003eUn Amor\u003c\/i\u003e extends Mesa's exploration of language and power, confronting readers with the limits of their own morality as tensions mount and the community's most unexpected impulses emerge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSara Mesa\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of ten works of fiction, including \u003ci\u003eScar\u003c\/i\u003e (winner of the Ojo Critico Prize), \u003ci\u003eFour by Four\u003c\/i\u003e (a finalist for the Herralde Prize), \u003ci\u003eAn Invisible Fire\u003c\/i\u003e (winner of the Premio Málaga de Novela), \u003ci\u003eAmong the Hedges\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUn amor\u003c\/i\u003e, which was named by several Spanish newspapers as the book of the year for 2020, and, most recently, \u003ci\u003eLa familia\u003c\/i\u003e. Her works have been translated into more than ten different languages, and she has been widely praised for her concise, sharp writing style. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKatie Whittemore\u003c\/b\u003e translates from the Spanish. Full-length translations include works by Sara Mesa, Javier Serena, Aroa Moreno Durán, Lara Moreno, Nuria Labari, and Katixa Agirre. Forthcoming translations include novels by Jon Bilbao, Juan Gómez Bárcena, Almudena Sánchez, Aliocha Coll, and Pilar Adón. She received an NEA Translation Fellowship in 2022 to translate Moreno's \u003ci\u003eIn Case We Lose Power.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Open Letter","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50644735262994,"sku":"9781948830775","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_51a2eb58-7aea-46e1-9517-a083616b0479.jpg?v=1733123381","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/un-amor-a-novel-9781948830775","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}