{"product_id":"not-normal-illinois-peculiar-fictions-from-the-flyover-paperback-softback-9780253210227","title":"Not Normal, Illinois; Peculiar Fictions from the Flyover (Paperback \/ softback) 9780253210227","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eNot Normal, Illinois\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003ePeculiar Fictions from the Flyover\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eMichael Martone (Edited by), Max Apple (Contributions by), Joel Brouwer (Contributions by), Robert Coover (Contributions by), Robert Day (Contributions by), Rikki Ducornet (Contributions by), Stuart Dybek (Contributions by), Mark Ehling (Contributions by), Louise Erdrich (Contributions by), Robin Hemley (Contributions by), Lily Hoang (Contributions by), Laird Hunt (Contributions by), Sandy Huss (Contributions by), Lily James (Contributions by), Janet Kauffman (Contributions by), Jesse Lee Kercheval (Contributions by), Brian Kitely (Contributions by), Clarence Major (Contributions by), Brian McMullen (Contributions by), Glenn Meeter (Contributions by), Ander Monson (Contributions by), Susan S. Neville (Contributions by), Lon Otto (Contributions by), Erin Pringle (Contributions by), Josh Russell (Contributions by), Scott Russell Sanders (Contributions by), George Saunders (Contributions by), Steve Tomasula (Contributions by), Deb Olin Unferth (Contributions by), Kellie Wells (Contributions by), Curtis White (Contributions by), Michael Wilkerson (Contributions by)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780253210227\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 26 August 2009\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e328 pages, 21 b\u0026amp;w illus.\u003cbr\u003e23.5 x 15.6 x 1.5 cm, 0.476 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The Midwest can be derided as being the middle of nowhere, but Not Normal, Illinois makes a stong case that it's actually in the middle of everywhere. The ordered grids of farm land you see as you gaze out the window of a plane flying over this vast, unpopulated region are a deception—look closer and you'll see immense literary talent sprouting from and feeding off this fertile loam.Spring 2010\"—\u003ci\u003eraintaxi.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Michael Martone succeeds in corralling a wonderful array of tales, one that would make all Midwest folk, snapping the straps on their overalls and sniffing the apple pie on the ledge, right proud.May\/June 2010, Vol. 31, No. 4\"—\u003ci\u003eAmerican Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Not Normal, Illinois is a fine and strongly recommended read for any who want a sampling of mid-western philosophy.December 2009\"—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Bookwatch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Just as the Midwest, this vast, various, and unclassifiable place, is not nearly so conventional as it's reputed to be, the literature of the heartland has a long tradition of original, innovative writing that is flourishing today more than ever.\"—Porter Shreve, author of The Obituary Reader\u003cbr\u003e \"Google Earth notwithstanding, those of us who live in the Midwest know it is not really a flyover zone but another intriguing planet, and the writers in this volume understand that. They have developed new fictional forms for new life forms—their stories are surprising, funny, moving, challenging, and weird in equal measure. I plan to use this collection in the earthbound classroom and hereby nominate Michael Martone for intergalactic editor-in-chief.\"—Valerie Sayers, \u003ci\u003eBrain Fever, 1996\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"As a Midwestern-born-and-reared writer myself, I have always wondered where the New Stories from the Midwest and its ilk are. Michael Martone's wonderful anthology, Not Normal, Illinois, explains this void in a way I've always instinctively suspected: rather than being too bland, we Midwesterners are too profoundly and intimidatingly whack. This is a funny, scary, challenging, sublime book. The Gothic South ain't got nothin' on us.\"—Robert Olen Butler, \u003ci\u003eIntercourse: Stories, 2008\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Here's a real carousel of a collection, stories that rotate, more or less, around the midwest of most of their settings, though \"settings\" would imply fiction of a more traditional sort and these outings are bright and flashy constructions, conceptual and timely to a fault, but full of fun and pathos, erudition and outrage, 33 whirling rides, all exciting and illuminating, by a number of familiar practitioners, such as Rikki Ducornet, Robert Coover, George Saunders, and some newer kids on the block, like Lily Hoang, Erin Pringle, Michael Wilkerson. The amusement continues in the contributors' notes — all brought together by that most accomplished of literary midway barkers, Michael Martone. Climb aboard! You won't regret it.\"—William O'Rourke, \u003ci\u003eNotts and Criminal Tendencies\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"This anthology is an unusually insightful one and serves an important purpose in the context of American fiction writing.\"—R. M. Berry, \u003ci\u003eFlorida State University\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDo Midwesterners have a peculiar way of looking at the world? Is there something not quite right about the way they see things? For such a normal place, the heartland has produced some writers who take a most individual approach to storytelling. And the result—to the delight of readers everywhere—has been stories that reveal the mystery, joy, and enchantment in the most ordinary and incidental moments of life. These 33 exceptional tales showcase the peculiarly wonderful vision of some of the region's best-known or soon-to-be-celebrated writers. Each invites its readers to see the world through different eyes and see it anew.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction: In the Middle of the Middle of Middletown\u003cbr\u003e Patty-Cake, Patty-Cake... A Memoir, by Max Apple\u003cbr\u003e Childhood; Detroit; Michigan, by Joel Brouwer\u003cbr\u003e Beginnings, by Robert Coover\u003cbr\u003e Some Notes on the Cold War in Kansas, by Robert Day\u003cbr\u003e The One Marvelous Thing, by Rikki Ducornet\u003cbr\u003e Visions of Budhardin, by Stuart Dybek\u003cbr\u003e River Dead of Minneapolis, by Mark Ehling\u003cbr\u003e Fuck With Kayla And You Die, by Louise Erdrich\u003cbr\u003e All You Can Eat, by Robin Hemley\u003cbr\u003e 13 Remotely Related to South Bend, by Lily Hoang\u003cbr\u003e Happy Film, by Laird Hunt\u003cbr\u003e Long Walk, by Sandy Huss\u003cbr\u003e Round, by Lily James\u003cbr\u003e Anton's Album, by Janet Kauffman\u003cbr\u003e A History of Indiana, by Jesse Lee Kercheval\u003cbr\u003e Still Life with Insects, by Brian Kitely\u003cbr\u003e Mobile Axis: A Triptych, by Clarence Major\u003cbr\u003e The Digitally Enhanced Image of Cary Grant Appearing in a Cornfield in Indiana, by Michael Martone\u003cbr\u003e Talking to my Old Science Teacher about Drawings in which I Killed Him, by Brian McMullen\u003cbr\u003e A Harvest, by Glenn Meeter\u003cbr\u003e Other Electricities, by Ander Monson\u003cbr\u003e The Mausoleum, by Susan S. Neville\u003cbr\u003e Submarine Warfare on the Upper Mississippi, by Lon Otto\u003cbr\u003e Wednesday Night Reflections, Edited Thursday, by Erin Pringle\u003cbr\u003e The Great War, by Josh Russell\u003cbr\u003e July Snow, by Scott Russell Sanders\u003cbr\u003e The Red Bow, by George Saunders\u003cbr\u003e Medieval Land, by Steve Tomasula\u003cbr\u003e Natural Citizens, by Deb Olin Unferth\u003cbr\u003e Session,, by Kellie Wells\u003cbr\u003e Metaphysics of the Midwest, by Curtis White\u003cbr\u003e Luna Moth, by Michael Wilkerson\u003cbr\u003e Baby; Pornography, by Dianne Williams\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Quarry Books","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52525856293144,"sku":"9780253210227","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/not-normal-illinois-peculiar-fictions-from-the-flyover-paperback-softback-9780253210227","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}