Penn Manor senior Robert Ethan White has accomplished something that few high school students ever do: he wrote and published his own novel.
Working under the direction of English teacher Scott Hertzog, Robert recently published Susquehannock, which follows Dean Higgins, a miserable old man living a hollow life in a small community along the Susquehanna River.
When his inner demons take a monstrous physical form and threaten not just him, but everyone he cares about, Dean must confront both the monsters — and himself — if he has any hope of saving his home.
Robert has been passionate about writing since childhood, often writing far beyond his grade school assignments because he loved storytelling.
“After writing my first short story for a contest when I was around 12 or 13, I was hooked,” he said. “But it wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school, when a theatre teacher in Florida encouraged me to write a play that won at a thespian festival, that I realized I couldn’t survive without writing.”
Seeing his first novel in print is “pretty incredible,” he said. “Whether it’s quality or not, I did something cool.”
Susquehannock was inspired by I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and even the music of Tom Waits, Robert said. “Waits was the inspiration for the main character’s design and voice. His music was the tone of the entire book, to the extent that it even played a role in the plot.”
His greatest inspiration, however, was the Susquehanna River. “I remember going for the first time, seeing a shack on the river, and wondering what kind of person could live there — and decided to tell that story.”
The book cover art was designed by Robert’s father, Joseph, a graphic designer, based on one of the characters in the book.
Mr. Hertzog, who oversaw Robert’s independent study project, said, “Robert’s ability to craft a story filled with atmosphere, character depth, and real emotional stakes is remarkable. Susquehannock is an unforgettable debut, and he should be incredibly proud of what he has accomplished.”
The project took the entire school year to complete, said Mr. Hertzog, who has helped five other Penn Manor students publish novels over the years.
Susquehannock is now available through Lulu.com.
