Travel Writing - Hardcover

Ferry, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0701181923 ISBN 13: 9780701181925

Publisher: Chatto & Windus, 2008

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

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.

From the Back Cover

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
Pete Ferry is driving home from work one evening when he sees a car swerving dangerously on the road. He allows it to overtake and he sees that 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 story that Pete tells his class of high-school students. 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?
Full of heart and soul, this two-layered story subtly smudges fiction and reality.
Good Housekeeping, Book of the Month
A fresh take on writing about writing, as he intelligently plays with the notions of fact and fiction, illusion and reality A playful, thoughtful debut Arena
Genuinely thrilling leads to a powerful and troubling climax Literary Review
Right from the very first sentence [it] is intriguing playfully but skilfully blurring the lines between fact and fiction the maxim of writing what you know has rarely been more intelligently approached in recent times Metro ****

Edition details

• Publisher: Chatto & Windus
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0701181923
• ISBN 13: 9780701181925
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304