Place

by Ned White

A man and the woman he loves seek firm footing in a post-9/11 America where "sense of place" is fractured and uncertain... where the boundaries of reality become as frail as the psyche of a battered nation. It's not just that things are out of balance. Things happen that cannot happen. Hugh Ogden is a systems theorist working in the field of of Artificial Life; Abby Sipes, a high-powered corporate consultant with star status, is struggling desperately to overcome a deep personal tragedy. But her center cannot hold; all too often and without warning, she literally vanishes into thin air. PLACE is a haunting, suspenseful story of science and blindness, the destruction and resurrection of family, and the search for solid foundation in a shifting landscape. "Ned White's intriguing novel of love and grief and family skillfully blends physics with metaphysics to add new meaning to the term 'sense of place.'" - Don O'Briant, former book editor, Atlanta Journal Constitution

296 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2009

About the author

I've been writing steadily since college - novels, stories, plays, poetry, and teleplays (including several programs for PBS, HBO, and local TV). I also construct crossword puzzles for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other publications.

My first novel, THE VERY BAD THING, was published by Viking Penguin, sold modestly, earned some good reviews. Since then I've had several fine agencies representing new work, but ultimately (spring 2009) I chose to self publish three novels I've written over the last several years.

CALLING OUT YOUR NAME is an adventure story for young adults, set largely in the Deep South in the recent past: a rural Georgia teenager sets off on an improbable journey to find his developmentally disabled younger brother, who's apparently run away.

PLACE is adult literary fiction... about a woman who disappears, quite literally.

STRING THEORIES, to be republished in March 2016, is also adult literary fiction - a "physics love story" and adventuresome romp set in New Mexico.

BILLY BUCK is harder to described. Take a look at t.

All are available on Kindle, Amazon, and from me via ayPal (free shipping).

Reviews

[MickPro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a good book is like being told a story, hopefully, a wonderful story. Reading a really good book by a good friend is is hearing a wonderful story in his/her voice. It brings the story closer to you, you hear the voice of the author. You empathize all the easier. You want the back story, or you want to hold on to your thoughts of where reality meets fiction.
I got lucky and felt all of those things in reading this book. Treat.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I can guess why Ned White chose to self-publish this book, because I made the same decision on my short story collection: books that are difficult to categorize, that defy the publishing industry's narrow pigeonholes, are too difficult to get through the market-driven gauntlet. You want readers, you publish it yourself. This book is absolutely good enough to be traditionally published, and has much to recommend it to the mainstream, but it also takes risks that most commercial books don't take. It's a love story, a family story, a post-9-11 social commentary, and a scientific/spiritual philosophical exploration. Most of all, it's a human story, full of heart. It's not science fiction nor fantasy nor occult nor magical realism, yet it features a woman who periodically vanishes into thin air, then returns. Don't we all do that?

[Erin Knoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a review book for The Self-Publishing Review...my proper review is out there on the internet somewhere. I liked it. Definitely an oddball.