{"product_id":"the-desert-sky-before-us-9780062749871","title":"The Desert Sky Before Us","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe Desert Sky Before Us\u003c\/em\u003e is a marvel. A vital, profound story of the aftermath of loss, and of the terrors and illuminations of love.\" --R.O. Kwon, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Incendiaries\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom award-winning author Anne Valente comes this poignant and unforgettable literary novel of two estranged sisters--one, a former racecar driver and the other a recently-released prisoner--who embark on a road trip together to complete the scavenger hunt their mother designed for them before her death.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Billie is released from a correctional facility in Decatur, her sister Rhiannon is there to meet her, even though the two haven't seen each other in months. Painful secrets and numerous unspoken betrayals linger between them--but most agonizing is the sudden passing of their mother, a renowned paleontologist. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRhiannon and Billie must overcome their differences as they set off on a road trip west, following the breadcrumb-trail of their late mother's scavenger hunt, a sort of second funeral she planned in her final days. The sisters know the trail will end in Utah at the famous Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry, where their mother spent her career researching dinosaur fossils. But the seemingly endless days on the road soon take their toll, forcing Rhiannon and Billie to confront their hostilities and revisit old memories--both good and bad.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs they travel across the heart of America, and as a series of plane crashes in the news make their journey all the more urgent, the two sisters begin to rediscover each other and to uncover their late mother's veiled second life, taking them on an unexpected emotional journey inward--and forcing them to come to terms with their own choices in life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Anne Valente\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e William Morrow \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/14\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 448\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.20w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780062749871\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/25\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eValente, Anne:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnne Valente's first short-story collection, \u003cem\u003eBy Light We Knew Our Names, \u003c\/em\u003e won the Dzanc Books Short Story Prize. Her fiction appears in \u003cem\u003eOne Story, The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, \u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eChicago Tribune, \u003c\/em\u003e and her essays appear in \u003cem\u003eThe Believer\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e. Originally from St. Louis, she teaches creative writing and literature at Hamilton College.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43967228149875,"sku":"9.78006E+12","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/files\/img_206093e5-a3f5-45fe-83f7-33ffb7131f8d.jpg?v=1760181508","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/the-desert-sky-before-us-9780062749871","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}