None of this Ever Really Happened

(Paperback)

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Description

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... 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

Reviews

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 *

Author Bio

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.