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"The long-awaited return of a quintessentially American storyteller "You're as likely to be hit twice by lightning on a Monday as see a wood-chipper pull a man into its maw." So begins North of Ordinary, 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. Surprising, touching, and deeply humane, the ten stories of North of Ordinary offer an intimate, revelatory look at our fractured society and pull us together through the power of art"--
About the author
John Rolfe Gardiner 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
North of Ordinary. His stories have appeared in the
New Yorker,
American Scholar,
Oxford American,
One Story,
Pushcart Prize anthology,
PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories,
Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere. Gardiner lives in Middleburg, Virginia, with his wife, ceramic artist Joan Gardiner.
Summary
The long-awaited return of a quintessentially American storyteller
“You’re as likely to be hit twice by lightning on a Monday as see a wood chipper pull a man into its maw.”
So begins North of Ordinary, 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.
Surprising, touching, and deeply humane, the ten stories of North of Ordinary offer an intimate, revelatory look at our fractured society and pull us together through the power of art.
Foreword
Author appearances in Washington, DC; New York, NY; Leesburg, VA; Middleburg, VANational print, public radio, and online media campaignsSignificant bound galley mailing to media, booksellers, and librarians. Additional digital review copy distribution to media, booksellers, and librarians through EdelweissAuthor statement available in press materialSimultaneous eBook publication and promotionPostcards availableEarly outreach and giveaway through LibraryThingPromotion through BLP’s social media channels and website: www.blpress.orgPromotion through the author’s website: www.johnrolfegardiner.netIntroduction: Christopher BenfeyInterior illustrations: Maria NicklinEditor: Erika GoldmanAgent: Emma Patterson of Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.Cover designer: Alban FischerMarketing and publicity efforts supported by Molly Mikolowski of A Literary LightCo-op available
