{"product_id":"north-of-ordinary-9781954276321","title":"North of Ordinary","description":"\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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-16880916\"\u003eJohn Rolfe Gardiner\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bellevue Literary Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/14\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.11h x 5.43w x 0.71d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781954276321\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 195427632X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC029000\"\u003eShort Stories (single author)\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC019000\"\u003eLiterary\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC074000\"\u003eSouthern\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\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","brand":"Bellevue Literary Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48454906872045,"sku":"9781954276321","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/files\/img_c7d495a4-47ac-4d27-b3e1-db14920fa54c.jpg?v=1753510790","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/north-of-ordinary-9781954276321","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}