{"product_id":"encounters-with-unexpected-animals-stories-hardcover","title":"Encounters with Unexpected Animals: Stories - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBret Anthony Johnston\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn imaginative, moving collection of stories infused with the magic and enigma of the human condition and drenched in Texas heat, from the best-selling author of \u003ci\u003eWe Burn Daylight. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eEncounters with Unexpected Animals \u003c\/i\u003etakes readers deep into the heart of bestselling author Bret Anthony Johnston's home state of Texas, where teenagers search for love, parents grasp at connections with their children, and animals--real or imagined, familiar or unexpected--are reminders of the mystery, danger, and beauty of being alive. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \"Caiman,\" a father buys a baby alligator in hopes of keeping his family safe. In \"Soldier of Fortune,\" a teenage boy dog-sits for his neighbors after tragedy strikes, and his innocent snooping uncovers the family's most guarded secret. And in the luminous \"Half of What Atlee Rouse Knows About Horses,\" an elderly man's heart is laid bare with the raw and breathtaking power of wild horses. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJohnston's humor, empathy, and mastery of prose ring out through each story, bringing every finely-drawn character to radiant life. Individually, the stories are by turns suspenseful, poignant and exhilarating. Taken together, they reveal the abiding connections that lead us from sorrow and impermanence back to ourselves and, ultimately, to each other.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBret Anthony Johnston \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of the bestselling novels \u003ci\u003eWe Burn Daylight\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRemember Me Like This\u003c\/i\u003e, the award-winning \u003ci\u003eCorpus Christi: Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, and the editor of \u003ci\u003eNaming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer\u003c\/i\u003e. His work has appeared in\u003ci\u003e The New Yorker, Esquire, The Paris Review, Thrasher Magazine, The Best American Short Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship and the Sunday Times Short Story Award, he was born and raised in Texas and is the director of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.01 x 8.42 x 5.82 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 24, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51987987890477,"sku":"9780399590153","price":27.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/WTkBDuk4w19780399590153.webp?v=1776188571","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/encounters-with-unexpected-animals-stories-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}