{"product_id":"north-of-ordinary-paperback","title":"North of Ordinary - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn Rolfe Gardiner\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eChristopher Benfey\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by), \u003cb\u003eMaria Nicklin\u003c\/b\u003e (Illustrator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe long-awaited return of a quintessentially American storyteller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"You're as likely to be hit twice by lightning on a Monday as see a wood chipper pull a man into its maw.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo begins \u003ci\u003eNorth of Ordinary\u003c\/i\u003e, John Rolfe Gardner's virtuosic story collection of survivors getting by despite the odds in a shifting world. In these pages, we meet a nervous young apprentice to a weathered tree climber; a dangerously obsessed student at a Southern Bible college; an attractive schemer trying to build an audience for her tiny radio station; an undercover, cross-dressing lawman whose friendship changes the life of a deaf child in a suburban cul-de-sac; and an elderly Black mason whose knowledge of the town's history harbors truths that shake his visitor's foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSurprising, touching, and deeply humane, the ten stories of \u003ci\u003eNorth of Ordinary\u003c\/i\u003e offer an intimate, revelatory look at our fractured society and pull us together through the power of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Rolfe Gardiner\u003c\/b\u003e was born in New York and grew up in the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Northern Virginia during World War II. Recipient of a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers Award and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, he is the author of six novels and four collections of short fiction, including \u003ci\u003eNorth of Ordinary\u003c\/i\u003e. His stories have appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Scholar\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOxford American\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOne Story\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePushcart Prize\u003c\/i\u003e anthology, \u003ci\u003ePEN\/O. Henry Prize Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBest American Short Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. Gardiner lives in Middleburg, Virginia, with his wife, ceramic artist Joan Gardiner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.71 x 8.11 x 5.43 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 14, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42287530606727,"sku":"9781954276321","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/b81f74dd7d54ec1056724a6ba95a6e29.webp?v=1737878760","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/north-of-ordinary-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}