Travel Writing

A clever, gentle first novel - that comes with a glowing endorsement from Dave Eggers - about a love story and a mystery, about story telling, the blurred line between fact and fiction, and an early midlife crisis...

PETER FERRY is a teacher, writer, and editor. He has written textbooks for Rand McNally and travel pieces for the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times. His short stories have appared in StoryQuarterly, Overtures, the New Review of Literature, and McSweeney's. He has won the Illinois Arts Council Award for Short Fiction. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.

Pete Ferry is driving home from work one evening when he sees a car swerving dangerously on the road. He wants to keep out of its way, so he allows it to overtake - but as it does so he sees that the driver is a beautiful woman, she's half-naked or at least her clothes are hanging off her, and it's clear that she's drunk or something isn't right. He follows at a safe distance for a while, wondering what he should do - call the police? Flag down some help? Then he finds himself at a traffic light, next to her car, and he realises that now is the moment to do something. He could get out and tell her to pull over, or see if she needs help. But he hesitates, unsure, the lights change and her car lurches forward straight into a tree, killing her instantly... 
 
This is the story that Pete tells his class of high-school students in the wealthy suburb of Chicago where he teaches and writes. But did this actually happen, or is it just an elaborate tale he concocts to illustrate the power of story-telling to his restless teenage charges? Was it really an accident? Could Pete have prevented it? Who was the beautiful woman, and why can't he stop thinking about her? What might his obsession mean to his relationship with his girlfriend, Lydia? 
 
With humour, tenderness, and suspense, Travel Writing takes the reader on fascinating journeys, both geographical and psychological, playing with our notions of fact and fiction and questioning whether the lines between them are more blurred than we first expect.

Peter Ferry

The Ferrys (both of them) are natural storytellers, and the story they tell is convincing and compelling... this is a soulful and well-written page-turner

Totally captivating and page-turning on one level, completely soulful and honest on another level, beautifully written... a great and edifying read

Right from the very first sentence, teacher and travel writer Peter Ferry's debut is intriguing...the maxim of writing what you know has rarely been more intelligently approached in recent times as it is by Ferry

Part fiction, part travelogue, this is a wholly delightful enigma

Full of heart and soul, this two-layered story subtly smudges fiction and reality. Book of the Month

Ferry's first novel is a fresh take on the sometimes fatigued option that writers take of writing about writing, as he intelligently plays with the notions of fact and fiction, illusion and reality... A playful, thoughtful debut

The narrator's mounting obsession with discovering the truth is contagious: we really want to find out whodunit. Ferry builds suspense skilfully... Travel Writing illustrates the power of several kinds of story: love stories, travelogues, parables, family anecdotes, moral tales and the yarns people tell after a few beers late at night... the travelogues about Mexico, Thailand and Canada...are also fascinating excursions in their own right

Genuinely thrilling... leads to a powerful and troubling climax

Opening with a mysterious yet distressing anecdote about a girl driving dangerously, Peter Ferry's first novel immediately captures the reader's imagination, drawing you into a story filled with humour, tenderness and suspense... The novel is as entertaining as it is intriguing and is not to be missed

Pete Ferry is driving home from work one evening when he sees a car swerving dangerously on the road. The driver is a beautiful, half-naked woman, and it's clear that something isn't right. He follows at a safe distance for a while, wondering what he should do - but he hesitates, unsure, and watches in horror as her car lurches forward, straight into a tree, killing her instantly... 
 
This is the tale Pete tells of his class of high-school students. But did it happen or is it actually an elaborate concoction to illustrate the power of his story-telling to his restless teenage charges? Was it really an accident? Could Pete have prevented it? Who was the woman and why can't he stop thinking about her?

Peter Ferry

Praise for None of this Ever Really Happened

The Ferrys (both of them) are natural storytellers, and the story they tell is convincing and compelling... this is a soulful and well-written page-turner

Totally captivating and page-turning on one level, completely soulful and honest on another level, beautifully written... a great and edifying read

Right from the very first sentence, teacher and travel writer Peter Ferry's debut is intriguing...the maxim of writing what you know has rarely been more intelligently approached in recent times as it is by Ferry

The Ferrys (both of them) are natural storytellers, and the story they tell is convincing and compelling... this is a soulful and well-written page-turner

Totally captivating and page-turning on one level, completely soulful and honest on another level, beautifully written... a great and edifying read

Right from the very first sentence, teacher and travel writer Peter Ferry's debut is intriguing...the maxim of writing what you know has rarely been more intelligently approached in recent times as it is by Ferry

The Ferrys (both of them) are natural storytellers, and the story they tell is convincing and compelling... this is a soulful and well-written page-turner

Totally captivating and page-turning on one level, completely soulful and honest on another level, beautifully written... a great and edifying read

Right from the very first sentence, teacher and travel writer Peter Ferry's debut is intriguing...the maxim of writing what you know has rarely been more intelligently approached in recent times as it is by Ferry

Books by Peter Ferry

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