The Sandusky Register’s Tom Jackson writes about Ohio University alum Peter Ferry’s new book: “If you like fiction, learn the name ‘Peter Ferry.'”
Ferry, a retired high school English teacher, earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University.
The best novel I’ve come across in quite some time is by a writer who was born in Sandusky.
“Travel Writing” is by Peter Ferry, a retired high school English teacher in the Chicago area who was born here but grew up in Parkersburg, W. Va., and in Chicago; he attended Ohio University and Northwestern University….
It’s an excellent novel, literary fiction but with a mystery-thriller plot. The protagonist, “Peter Ferry,” resembles the real-life Peter Ferry (the character also is a high school English teacher). He sees a woman die in an auto accident and becomes obsessed with what caused the accident and what really happened.
Writing a novel with a protagonist named after yourself is a postmodern device that’s been used in other novels, of course. Martin Amis and Richard Powers are two writers I like a lot who also have done it. But Ferry plays with the concept in various ingenious ways. For example, Ferry tells the story to his high school English class, and the students pester him to reveal what is “true” and what he made up. I can’t say more without giving away surprises.
Read more of Jackson’s review.
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