{"title":"Books by Carys Bray","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780099591870","title":"A Song for Issy Bradley","description":"\u003cb\u003eWINNER OF THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2015\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2015 AND THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2015\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeet the Bradleys.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn lots of ways, they’re a normal family:\u003cbr\u003eZippy is sixteen and in love for the first time; Al is thirteen and dreams of playing for Liverpool.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd in some ways, they’re a bit different:\u003cbr\u003eSeven-year-old Jacob believes in miracles. So does his dad. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut these days their mum doesn’t believe in anything, not even getting out of bed. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow does life go on, now that Issy is gone?","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223671026037,"sku":"9780099591870","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099591870_6cb4dd80-f7b8-49b6-8ff1-8db5ea97df81.jpg?v=1786011551"},{"product_id":"9781473649453","title":"How Much the Heart Can Hold","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eZelda Fitzgerald\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLove is not a singular concept.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this collection, seven award-winning authors explore seven concepts of love: from Philautia, self-love, to Agape, love for humanity; and from Storge, a natural affection for family, to Mania, a frenzied, obsessive love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeven authors; seven short stories; seven flashes of love. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis paperback edition of \u003c\/i\u003eHow Much the Heart Can Hold\u003ci\u003e includes the winning short story from the SceptreLoves short story Prize. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300320620917,"sku":"9781473649453","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781473649453_f5750774-bad1-42ac-856a-44ffcc934da9.jpg?v=1786020558"},{"product_id":"9781786091093","title":"When the Lights Go Out","description":"\u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eThis is a powerful and truthful story about hope and how to find it' \u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Wry, beautifully written \u003c\/b\u003e. . .\u003cb\u003e it works on many levels' \u003ci\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Bray's satire shines with observation and subtlety' \u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'She writes with a quiet formidable brilliance. Her observations on relationships are acute, painful and extremely funny. This is a gem of a book.' EMILY MAITLIS\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGlobal temperatures are rising.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe climate of the Abrams' marriage is cooling.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmma is beginning to wonder whether relationships, like mortgages, should be conducted in five-year increments. She might laugh if Chris had bought a motorbike or started dyeing his hair. Instead he's buying off-label medicines and stockpiling food.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChris finds Emma's relentless optimism exasperating. A tot of dread, a nip of horror, a shot of anger - he isn't asking much. If she would only join him in a measure of \u003ci\u003esomething\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe family's precarious eco-system is further disrupted by torrential rains, power cuts and the unexpected arrival of Chris's mother. Emma longs to lower a rope and winch Chris from the pit of his worries. But he doesn't want to be rescued or reassured - he wants to pull her in after him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDarkly funny and beautifully written, \u003ci\u003eWhen the Lights Go Out \u003c\/i\u003eis a novel for our times: a story about cultivating hope and weathering change.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'So timely, and so deeply human, a novel which takes us right into the heart of a marriage and at the same time grapples with the most crucial issue of our age. It's \u003cb\u003ebursting with compassion and wisdom\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003cb\u003eSHELLEY HARRIS, author of \u003ci\u003eJUBILEE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Through \u003cb\u003eexquisite use of language and observation\u003c\/b\u003e, she examines the intricacies of family life in ways which have you laughing one moment and biting your nails with worry the next.' \u003cb\u003eSARAH FRANKLIN, author of S\u003ci\u003eHELTER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'With characteristic wit and humanity, Bray shows us the necessity and the impossibility of preparing for disaster, and \u003cb\u003ereminds us of both the fragility and capacity of love\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003cb\u003eJENN ASHWORTH, author of \u003ci\u003eA KIND OF INTIMACY\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFELL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I think \u003ci\u003eWHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003eexactly the novel we need in these times\u003c\/b\u003e: it's complex, nuanced, and compassionate, frightening and heartening. I think Carys has written something truly extraordinary and I hope it flies. I'll certainly be cheering it on.' \u003cb\u003eSTEPHANIE BUTLAND\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Gorgeously written... funny and compassionate... I found it very affecting.' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGOOD HOUSEKEEPING\u003c\/i\u003e, 2020 Pick of the Year \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56305627070837,"sku":"9781786091093","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781786091093_2c6dda6e-d9e6-4ee3-8d17-170d31996f3c.jpg?v=1786025922"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-carys-bray.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}