Mortal Things

What mortal things are fleeting, and what stay with us forever?

Set during a time of changing values and beliefs and in a Philadelphia neighborhood known for its diversity of ethnicity, race, and social-class, MORTAL THINGS shines a light on the impact of the families we are given and the ones we choose. 

Told in alternating perspectives against the vibrant backdrop of one of Philadelphia's most distinctive neighborhoods, Mortal Things is a powerful reflection on the transient ties that can bind or break us.

Advance Praise for Mortal Things

"Ned Bachus's compulsively readable novel Mortal Things is a gorgeously written portrait of human friendship and all its longing and connection and loss. Set in a diverse Philadelphia neighborhood, the city is rendered so vividly you'll feel you live there. Bachus's writing displays such great depth and intelligence and sensitivity-all of which makes this novel wonderfully immersive. The book is profoundly moving and entertaining, with wry humor and knowing insights on display on every resonant page."

-Susan Conley, author of Landslide, a New York Times Editor's Choice

"With an acute sense of place and insightful characterization, Ned Bachus captures the long-lasting ripple effects of chance meetings, unspoken truths, and the losses haunting our lives. Class divides of late 1980s Philadelphia, our much-needed connection in an atomized society, and how our sorrows can drive us to the unexpected are all masterfully explored. An atmospheric and powerful debut novel with deep emotional impact."

-Marjan Kamali, author of the Boston Globe bestseller The Stationery Shop and the Massachusetts Book Award finalist Together Tea

Ned Bachus's collection of short stories, City of Brotherly Love, was awarded the 2013 Independent Publisher Award (IPPY) Gold Medal for Literary Fiction. About the book, Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife, said "[My] life is variously enriched by reading Ned Bachus's superb stories." The recipient of two fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, his 2017 book, Open Admissions: What Teaching at Community College Taught Me About Learning, was the product of his nearly four-decade career at Community