None of this Ever Really Happened
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:6th Aug '09
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A clever, gentle first novel about a love story and a mystery, about story telling, the blurred line between fact and fiction, and an early midlife crisis...
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.
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?
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 * Observer *
Totally captivating and page-turning on one level, completely soulful and honest on another level, beautifully written... a great and edifying read -- Dave Eggers
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 * Metro *
Part fiction, part travelogue, this is a wholly delightful enigma * Guardian *
Full of heart and soul, this two-layered story subtly smudges fiction and reality. Book of the Month * Good Housekeeping *
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 * Arena *
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 * Times Literary Supplement *
Genuinely thrilling... leads to a powerful and troubling climax * Literary Review *
Truly gripping * Big Issue *
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 * Aesthetica *
ISBN: 9780099516484
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 19mm
Weight: 213g
304 pages