A Place in the World
by Bill Gaythwaite
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Pub Date Oct 07 2025 | Archive Date Oct 07 2025
University of Pittsburgh Press | Drue Heinz Literature Prize
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Description
Winner of the 2025 Drue Heinz Literature Prize
The eleven stories in A Place in the World are character-driven portrayals depicting various lives transformed by random events or twists of fate. A young woman living on the coast of Maine confronts her painful past when her little brother comes to visit after being released from rehab; a hopeless gay hustler, in for the long con, instead finds himself falling in love while vacationing in Denmark; a failed New York City actor afraid of commitment goes on a comic rant and embraces an epiphany while cat-sitting for a friend. In separate, first-person narratives, a struggling husband and wife take turns describing the impact of a scandalous crisis on their marriage; a settled suburban dad arrives at a beach house for the weekend, only to realize he robbed one of the other houseguests thirty-four years earlier. In this poignant, engaging collection, Gaythwaite offers compassion and surprising optimism while celebrating astonishing resilience in the face of life’s persistent challenges.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
"These are captivating stories that reveal how intertwined we really are with our past selves. A fantastic collection about facing up to the ghosts of our mistakes and our fears, and how our secrets refuse to let us forget who we were and what we’ve done." - Manuel Muñoz, author of What You See in the Dark and judge of the 2025 Drue Heinz Literature Prize
"In the tradition of Chekhov, Bill Gaythwaite writes stories about outwardly unremarkable people with remarkable inner lives. Funny, smart, intermittently heartbreaking, the stories in A Place in the World eschew literary pyrotechnics and privilege the art of storytelling. A fine collection." - David Leavitt
"Bill Gaythwaite’s revelatory collection makes me fall in love with reading again. So immersive are these sharp, quick-witted, and intricately observed stories that, in fact, they make me forget I was reading at all. Amaster at conveying emotions, Gaythwaite is particularly gifted at evoking the ones which are usually lower pitched — nostalgia, regret, and longing — making them as loud, palpable, and dramatic as the more chest-thumping emotions of rage and anger. Maybe that’s because these stories aren’t so much about loss or the past but the necessity to face them in order to move on. Not that it’s easy. Often, these characters come from small towns and small lives best left behind and forgotten, and as they bet on themselves and seek bigger lives in other places, they sometimes find that they must make choices that betray themselves and others for reasons that are heartbreakingly human. A moving, incisive collection of big-hearted stories that reverberate well past their reading." - Caroline Kim, author of The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories
Marketing Plan
- Comprehensive galley mailing and digital distribution
- National print and online reviews and features
- Regional print and online reviews and features
- National print and online advertising
- Select author appearances
- Online and social media promotion
- Feature at AWP 2026
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780822948766 |
| PRICE | $24.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 200 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Aga S, Reviewer
Winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize
11 stories.
11 lives.
11 regrets.
Each story in this quiet, moving collection gives us a glimpse into a life shaped by past choices. From a gay hustler on holiday, to a failed NYC actor, to a young woman reconnecting with her estranged brother—every character is haunted by something, and trying, in their own quiet way, to find peace.
There’s no big drama here—just deeply human moments. Regret. Longing. Small wins that feel like victories. These characters aren’t larger than life—they are life. And that’s what makes the collection so resonant. They could be any of us.
Thoughtful, subtle, and emotionally honest, A Place in the World reminds us that even in the ordinary, there’s beauty—and even in brokenness, there's connection.
Tricia L, Reviewer
The stories in this collection are at the intersection of personal revelation and the mundane details of daily life. Most consist of characters reflecting back on events that show the reader who they are. Some characters are more self-aware than others, but they are honest about their flaws. If anything is held back in the narrative, it's only because the narrator is altogether unwilling to admit it to themselves. Most readers will find some characters here that they can relate to; if you're a gay man or a New Yorker, the chances are even higher.
If you're looking for linear plots, suspense, and exciting events, you're not necessarily going to find those here. These characters, like all of us, have been shaped by chance meetings, coincidences, and quirks of their backgrounds; most of the dramatic, life-changing happenings are in the past.
My favorite story was "The World at Large," in which the narrator writes a letter to an old friend. Most of the letter recounts a discussion with a stranger at the mailbox, and how this discussion convinced him to overcome hesitation and inertia in his life.
While I wouldn't call this a funny book overall, you'll find that some of the narrators display wry humor. For example, here is a quote from another story, "The Simple Part:" "I'd dropped my phone in the process and broken it, so not only was I submerged in grief, but once I got my wits about me, I had to go deal with Verizon."
Ultimately, this collection helped me as a reader to feel more aware of how serendipitous life can be, and to appreciate (or at least notice) the small stuff.
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