Reviews

Amazon.com July 22, 2009

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Donna Aviles, author, Beyond The Orphan Train (Delaware)

Across the Veil of Time and Space

Abigail Sipes is a highly sought after, independent corporate consultant. Hugh Ogden is a brilliant computer software engineer who is eager to sell his cutting edge company, which harnesses distributed intelligence, before the tech bubble bursts. When their paths cross during acquisition talks, the attraction is immediate and intense.

Divorced for the past six years with a daughter in college on the East coast, Hugh's marriage was failed from the start and he longs for a sense of place, a connection to planet Earth, a life free from the ordinary and expected.

Abby, at thirty-six, has been a widow for four years although she willingly admits that she "didn't like him much." An unspeakable, life altering event from her past has damaged her own sense of place and is preventing her - literally - from moving forward with her life.

Together, Hugh and Abby seek to build a new family and repair that damage in an effort to become whole.

Place, set in a post 9/11 America, is a thoughtful exploration of family connections both in the here and now, as well as across the veil of time and space. Very well written with a unique, matter-of-fact prose, this intriguing story may leave the reader rethinking their understanding of what can and cannot possibly happen. The back cover blurb...A wounded life in a fractured land, she keeps disappearing... does not begin to touch on the depth and complexity of this story. Definitely worth the read, I look forward to reviewing Ned White's earlier work, Calling Out Your Name.

Self-Publishing Review July 18, 2009

By Erin Stropes

It’s hard to know where to start with a book like Place. I enjoyed it, that much is certain. It brought me to tears a couple times, that’s certain too. But what is it about? There are clearly a few levels that this book can be read at, and that makes it tricky to pin down.

On the face of it, Place is the story of two fairly responsible and well-to-do adults—one of whom just happens to have a penchant for disappearing, literally, for a few seconds at a time—trying to find more happiness together than they experienced with their first families. With a backdrop of homemaking, cross-country road trips, and the “enduring and baffling weirdness” of New Mexico, they struggle with their past, but live for the future. Except that a particularly tragic piece of the past is refusing to let go.

A less ambitious writer might have left things there, but White underpins the whole thing with a hybrid structure of computer science, physics, psychology, and religion, that actually succeeds at making the reader question what is real, what could be real, and why we think we’re so sure about all this.

The novel follows a fairly linear course over a period of several years, from the dot-com bust to the post-9/11 age. There’s a little bit of jumping around in time, though, which was the source of my major complaint - it was sometimes quite hard to figure out when and in what order things were happening. And even a few of the linear jumps in time seemed oddly placed, skipping over events and actions that felt like they should have been given some more attention.

On the other hand, the fact that what I really wanted was to read more about the daily life of these reasonably normal people is a real testament to White’s skill as a storyteller and author. His sense of pacing, suspense, and dramatic tension is spot-on, and on top of that his world and characters drew me in to the point where I would have happily read about them even if there wasn’t something weird going on.

Ned White’s earlier novel The Very Bad Thing was published by Viking Penguin, and it’s easy to see why his style would attract mainstream attention. His writing feels effortless, even when he’s treading dangerously close to the weird, new-agey themes that render many similar novels unreadable to a wide audience. There is never any melodrama, even when the book touches on issues that lend themselves to over-writing. White clearly realizes that issues with inherent emotional weight (9/11, child abandonment, the fear of losing a loved one) can be much more effective when the obvious is left unsaid. All in all, a truly pleasurable piece of literary fiction.

Amazon.com July 9, 2009

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Heidi Mayo (Plymouth, MA USA)

Place is a very satisfying read -- beautifully written and carefully crafted, a great modern story. This timely work's plot and emotion spring from recent historical events. Today's computer bot "society" provides a perfect parallel to human life and our evolution as beings of energy - and gravity - both literal and symbolic. Ned White has done a remarkable job creating a true work of art woven together with depth, clarity, intricacy, and just the right amount of enigma. An intelligent book - a must read.

Amazon.com May 16, 2009

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Amazon reviewer

Intelligently, beautifully written

What makes a work of fiction literary is its focus on style, psychological depth, and character (per Wikipedia). Place is among the most intelligent, satisfying, beautiful writing I have encountered - care-full, yet without being showy or self-conscious.

To discuss any details of the story beyond the summary provided would risk plot spoilers. To human existence in the macro world, White successfully applies the laws of probability and quantum phenomena poorly understood in physics, and through this takes us on an exploration of grief, loss, joy, love and our responsibilities to others. The story focuses on the individual parts, interactions and experiences of a family, against the subtle, incipient effects of a national trauma.

The story is unique and compelling, an emotional and intellectual ride that draws the reader's empathy and fully engages the reader's thought and imagination. It is one of those rare books that left me feeling changed.

Amazon.com May 12, 2009

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Barbara Macy

An extraordinary experience becomes plausible in the hands of a good story-teller. Both the physical and metaphysical descriptions show a depth of observation of places and relationships. This is the sort of book that draws you into a different world and you are reluctant to leave. With the twists and turns, I can see this as a very entertaining film.