Personal Geography

Personal Geography

A Novel by Geoff Rips

The world is falling apart at every turn as New York investigator Giacomo Berg undertakes a desperate search for longtime friend Peter Proust before he disappears from the face of the earth. Set in the chaotic months leading up to the millennium, Peter, last heard from in Texas, seems to be working intently to fade into the landscape.

Berg's search leads deep into the underbelly of America, where he encounters a survivalist waiting for the bomb, people dodging space debris, and a commune hidden in the East Texas woods run by a messianic rock star. All are trying to protect themselves in a world gone haywire.

Berg is joined by Texas-born friend Bonita "B.C." Boyd, who works documenting disappeared persons and assisting political refugees. Before they can continue on Peter Proust's trail, they are pulled into a frantic investigation by Boyd's friends living in a Houston suburb, who believe they are being poisoned by local chemical plants.

The tortuous course of their quest for Peter is mirrored by the meandering trajectory of their relationship as Berg and B.C. navigate the swamps, deserts, and mountains of the Southwest, determined to rescue Peter Proust before he vanishes completely.

Geoff Rips, former editor of The Texas Observer, was awarded an AWP novel prize for The Truth. His UnAmerican Activities documented U.S. intelligence agency suppression of underground newspapers. He writes extensively about the Texas/Mexico Border. A member of PEN America and the Texas Institute of Letters, he lives in Austin, TX.