{"title":"Simon Van Booy","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover the poignant and lyrical storytelling of \u003cem\u003eSimon Van Booy\u003c\/em\u003e, a celebrated author known for weaving intricate narratives filled with depth and emotion. His works often explore themes of love, loss, and the beauty found in life's quieter moments, offering readers profound insights into the human condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVan Booy's\u003c\/em\u003e diverse collection includes titles such as \u003cstrong\u003e“Night Came with Many Stars”\u003c\/strong\u003e, a compelling saga that spans several generations, painting a vivid picture of resilience and hope in the face of hardship. Fans of intricate, character-driven stories will be captivated by this beautifully crafted novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor those who cherish short story collections, \u003cstrong\u003e“The Presence of Absence”\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003e“The Sadness of Beautiful Things”\u003c\/strong\u003e offer poignant glimpses into the lives of various characters, each crafted with Van Booy's signature elegant prose and philosophical undertones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Sipsworth”\u003c\/strong\u003e is another gem within his oeuvre, showcasing his talent for creating vivid, memorable scenes that stay with readers long after the last page is turned. Each narrative is imbued with a sense of contemplation and grace, making his books a favourite among lovers of general fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you're discovering \u003cem\u003eSimon Van Booy\u003c\/em\u003e for the first time or are a devoted follower of his work, our collection of his books promises to engage and move you with every turn of the page.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sipsworth-by-simon-van-booy-9781835010877","title":"Sipsworth","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver the course of a single week, a woman who is ready to die finds an unexpected reason to live.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A gorgeously odd tale about finding yourself again, unexpectedly. If you want a little piece of joy in your reading life, buy it'\u003c\/strong\u003e — Jojo Moyes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Loaded with charm, resilience, and the deep desire for connection that all mammals share. I loved it'\u003c\/strong\u003e — Ann Patchett\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Utterly charming and beautifully written, \u003cem\u003eSipsworth\u003c\/em\u003e is a tender tale about loss, loneliness and the healing power of connection that you won't want to put down'\u003c\/strong\u003e — Mike Gayle\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Utterly charming and heartwarming'\u003c\/strong\u003e — Ruth Hogan, \u003cem\u003eThe Keeper of Lost Things\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Beautiful and enchanting'\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns from sixty years in Australia to the English village of her childhood. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHelen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship, and a way back into life itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46495575671020,"sku":"9781835010877","price":41.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781835010877.jpg?v=1748481069"},{"product_id":"sipsworth-by-simon-van-booy-9781835012703","title":"Sipsworth","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A love story about a woman and a mouse. I found myself pulling for this unlikely duo on every page. Loaded with charm, resilience, and the deep desire for connection that all mammals share. I loved it.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Ann Patchett\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOver the course of a single week, a woman who is ready to die finds an unexpected reason to live.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A gorgeously odd tale about finding yourself again, unexpectedly. If you want a little piece of joy in your reading life, buy it.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Jojo Moyes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Loaded with charm, resilience, and the deep desire for connection that all mammals share. I loved it.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Ann Patchett\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Utterly charming and beautifully written, \u003cem\u003eSipsworth\u003c\/em\u003e is a tender tale about loss, loneliness and the healing power of connection that you won't want to put down.'\u003c\/strong\u003e - Mike Gayle\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Utterly charming and heartwarming.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Ruth Hogan, \u003cem\u003eThe Keeper of Lost Things\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Beautiful and enchanting.'\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns from sixty years in Australia to the English village of her childhood. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHelen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship, and a way back into life itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46495578423532,"sku":"9781835012703","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781835012703.jpg?v=1748481049"},{"product_id":"the-sadness-of-beautiful-things-by-simon-van-booy-9780143133049","title":"The Sadness of Beautiful Things","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn exquisite new collection of short stories from award-winning author Simon Van Booy, exploring love, loss, human connection, and the chance encounters that shape our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Sadness of Beautiful Things\u003c\/em\u003e, Simon Van Booy has been listening to people's stories over the past decade. With these personal accounts as a starting point, he has crafted a powerful collection of short fiction that takes readers into the innermost lives of everyday people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a family saved from ruin by a mysterious benefactor, to a downtrodden boxer who shows unexpected kindness to a mugger, these masterfully written tales reveal not only the precarious balance maintained between grief and happiness in our lives, but also how the echoes of personal tragedy can shape us for the better.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Van Booy's stories are somehow like paintings the characters walk out of, and keep walking.\" - \u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Simon Van Booy knows a great deal about the complex longings of the human heart.\" - Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of \u003cem\u003eA Good Scent from a Strange Mountain\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46555762721004,"sku":"9780143133049","price":65.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26132473482238.jpg?v=1750119455"},{"product_id":"night-came-with-many-stars-by-simon-van-booy-9781567927580","title":"Night Came with Many Stars","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"It is a heartbreaking book, a gorgeous book...In \u003ci\u003eNight Came with Many Stars\u003c\/i\u003e, Van Booy finds the weakness, grace and beauty of common lives fully lived.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eNPR, \u003ci\u003eBooks We Love\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Not to miss!\"\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Kentucky, back in 1933, Carol's daddy lost his 13-year-old daughter in a game of cards. Award-winning author Simon Van Booy's spellbinding novel spans decades as he tells the story of Carol and the people in her life. Incidents intersect and lives unexpectedly change course in this masterfully interwoven story of chance and choice that leads home again to a night blessed with light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"What you give in this world,\" an old man tells his grandson, \"will be given back to you.\" Those words illuminate the actions within this unforgettable novel and its connected characters. A young man survives two nearly fatal accidents. A Black family saves an orphaned white boy. A pregnant teenager is rescued by the side of the road. A teenager with developmental disabilities is given his first job. Each incident grows in meaning and power over many decades as we see connections sometimes felt but not always apparent to the people themselves. \"Everything was moving,\" observes Samuel (Carol's grandson) in the Kentucky woods. \"An invisible force that was everywhere, and made everything touch.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTold by a master storyteller, \u003ci\u003eNight Came with Many Stars\u003c\/i\u003e is a rare novel that reveals how wondrous, mysterious, and magically connected life can be—the light Simon Van Booy creates illuminates our own lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46713102794988,"sku":"9781567927580","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6496463482746.jpg?v=1754317620"},{"product_id":"night-came-with-many-stars-by-simon-van-booy-9781567927030","title":"Night Came with Many Stars","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"It is a heartbreaking book, a gorgeous book... In \u003ci\u003eNight Came with Many Stars\u003c\/i\u003e, Van Booy finds the weakness, grace and beauty of common lives fully lived.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003eNPR, \u003ci\u003e\"Books We Love\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Not to miss!\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Kentucky, back in 1933, Carol's daddy lost his 13-year-old daughter in a game of cards. Award-winning author Simon Van Booy's spellbinding novel spans decades as he tells the story of Carol and the people in her life. Incidents intersect and lives unexpectedly change course in this masterfully interwoven story of chance and choice that leads home again to a night blessed with light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"What you give in this world,\" an old man tells his grandson, \"will be given back to you.\" Those words illuminate the actions within this unforgettable novel and its connected characters. A young man survives two nearly fatal accidents. A Black family saves an orphaned white boy. A pregnant teenager is rescued by the side of the road. A teenager with developmental disabilities is given his first job. Each incident grows in meaning and power over many decades as we see connections sometimes felt but not always apparent to the people themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Everything was moving,\" observes Samuel (Carol's grandson) in the Kentucky woods. \"An invisible force that was everywhere, and made everything touch.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTold by a master storyteller, \u003ci\u003eNight Came with Many Stars\u003c\/i\u003e is a rare novel that reveals how wondrous, mysterious, and magically connected life can be—the light Simon Van Booy creates illuminates our own lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46713104466156,"sku":"9781567927030","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6490963482746.jpg?v=1754317725"},{"product_id":"the-presence-of-absence-by-simon-van-booy-9781567927443","title":"The Presence of Absence","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a writer lies dying, he has one last story to tell: a tale of faith and devotion, a meditation on what lies beyond this life, and a prayer of gratitude that may lead to rebirth. This is Simon Van Booy at his visionary best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Language is a map leading to a place not on the map,' announces a young writer lying in a hospital bed at the beginning of \u003ci\u003eThe Presence of Absence\u003c\/i\u003e. As he contemplates his impending physical disappearance and the impact on his beloved wife, he realises, 'Life doesn't start when you're born...it begins when you commit yourself to the eventual devastating loss that results from connecting to another person.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInfused with poetic clarity and graced with humour, Simon Van Booy's innovative novella asks the reader to find beauty—even gratitude—in the cycle of birth and death. Stripped of artifice, \u003ci\u003eThe Presence of Absence\u003c\/i\u003e is a meditation between the writer and the reader, an imaginative work that challenges the deceit of written words and explores our strongest emotions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSimon Van Booy is not only a master storyteller but a writer whose fiction is rich with philosophical insights into things both mapped and undiscovered. \u003ci\u003eThe Presence of Absence\u003c\/i\u003e parts the darkness to reveal what has been just out of sight all along.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Flows with depth and power...wide-open wonder.' - \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Rich in setting and emotion. As ever with Van Booy, the reader is in good hands.' - \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'This amazed me. It's so deftly, delicately written, it seems as if real breeze is blowing - this, in the context of serious, sad subject matter. It's a perfect integration of form and content, though who would have imagined it this way except Simon Van Booy? Reading it made me think about the many things hidden in and from our lives that appear only when they do. It's a moving, brilliant book.' - Ann Beattie\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Some books have a voice that you tune into, a voice you know you can follow no matter where it's going... \u003ci\u003eThe Presence of Absence\u003c\/i\u003e is impossible to resist. A captivating fable that echoes in the mind long after the book is finished.' - Ilya Kaminsky \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46717850976492,"sku":"9781567927443","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6495093482746.jpg?v=1754486147"},{"product_id":"sipsworth-by-simon-van-booy-9781835010907","title":"Sipsworth","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A gorgeously odd tale about finding yourself again, unexpectedly. If you want a little piece of joy in your reading life, buy it'\u003c\/strong\u003e Jojo Moyes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Loaded with charm, resilience, and the deep desire for connection that all mammals share. I loved it'\u003c\/strong\u003e Ann Patchett\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Utterly charming and beautifully written, \u003cem\u003eSipsworth\u003c\/em\u003e is a tender tale about loss, loneliness and the healing power of connection that you won't want to put down'\u003c\/strong\u003e Mike Gayle\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Utterly charming and heartwarming'\u003c\/strong\u003e Ruth Hogan, \u003cem\u003eThe Keeper of Lost Things\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Beautiful and enchanting'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns from sixty years in Australia to the English village of her childhood. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHelen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. 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