One of These Things is Not Like the Others

Stephanie Johnson

Release Date: July 21, 2009

ISBN: 978-0982151211

Author Website
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Price: $13.95

ADVANCE PRAISE

Stephanie Johnson can accomplish in five hundred words what some writers can only do in five thousand: a complete arc of narrative with compelling characters struggling through the web of human frailties, entangled in passion and dependancy, love and betrayal, insight and ignorance. She does it by plucking strings of meaning that resonate far beyond the economy of the printed page. And when we finish a story, we realize we had slipped into a compelling world, both strange and familiar, and we miss it. So we read another. —Jeff McMahon, Editor of Contrary

Stephanie Johnson’s fiction—like Raymond Carver’s—celebrates the idea that less, on the page, can be more: her stories are at once lean and rich, poignant and wry, insightful and evocative. An impressive debut. —Jessica Treadway, author of And Give You Peace and Absent Without Leave

There is, in Stephanie Johnson’s stories, a profound, unflashy magic of seeing. She puts you right up to the beating hearts of her people—from which vantage, you see how they miss one another, and you understand as odd, perfect miracles their moments of connection and knowledge. —Scott Garson, author of American Gymnopédies

 

REVIEWS

"Stephanie Johnson’s debut One of These Things Is Not Like the Others, and it may well serve as a capsule of its concerns: to carefully observe life’s vicissitudes, to spotlight minutiae, to bear witness. The book is filled with internal squalls and domestic squabbles. In story after story, scene after scene, there is Johnson’s unwavering focus, and you can almost see her sharpening her senses." —NewPages

"There are so many stories to enjoy in this packed volume, and this book is a perfect companion for journeys, being that the stories can be so easily digested and many of them encompass some kind of journey or moment in time marked by realization or insight. The writing is taut and contained, without being bleak. The subject matter can be dark without feeling overly morose; and ugliness is not avoided though is matched by a feel for the small, magical details which give back to the enjoyment of the read." —The Short Review

"Johnson zeros-in on just the right details to make these pieces work. She’s able to create rich subtext in few words, which makes each story complicated and true, and makes each character feel alive and familiar. Of any new book that I’ve read this year, One of These Things Is Not Like the Others is the one I’ll return to, one that will reveal itself a little more with each read." —The Rumpus