Phillip Gardner

Where They Come from Where They Hide Phillip Gardner

Welcome to this fictional version of Darlington, South Carolina--a town full of characters who are rough, down-on-their-luck, and beautifully flawed. This fictional town provides a backdrop for the tragedies and comedies of life to unfold. If you linger in these stories for awhile and belly-up at the Paradise Lounge, the local watering hole, you'll meet Vapor, a man without a face, Coach, a washed-up former high school football coach who becomes a hero of sorts, and Pete Humps and his best friend, Russ, who are both hopelessly in love with the same fiery woman. These connected stories blur time and narrative to construct complicated characters that challenge stereotypical conceptions of the rural working-class. In the end, what emerges are the tales of the depth of human joy and suffering.