by Jim Lynch
By the time she gets up the hill to him, a dozen others are already there and several have dialed 9-1-1. A bearded young man has attempted CPR, and he’s trembling because it didn’t work. And a thin older woman has recognized the famous Roger Morgan and is shouting his name over and over again.
Meredith is panting as she takes off her sweater and folds it beneath his head, which looks unharmed. Kneeling beside him, she places a finger on his neck to be sure, though she knows. She strokes his forehead and finger-combs his bangs the way he likes them and starts humming to stop herself from crying. For a moment there is nothing but the sound of her humming, then seagulls shriek nearby, a train whistles across town, a jet rumbles overhead and the city carries on.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
While much of Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair is accurately portrayed here, this novel is the result of research mixed with imagination. Some celebrities have cameos in this story, but most of their conversations are invented. Also, Roger Morgan and Teddy Severson are my creations and were not based on men who actually ran the fair. Last, Seattle endured an elaborate bribery scandal in the 1960s and early ’70s, which was condensed to suit this novel. Similar liberties were taken with more recent newsflashes.
Books that helped conjure this story include Century 21: The Story of the Seattle World’s Fair, 1962 by Murray Morgan; On the Take: From Petty Crooks to Presidents by William J. Chambliss; Pugetopolis by Knute Berger, Seattle Vice: Strippers, Prostitution, Dirty Money, and Crooked Cops in the Emerald City by Rick Anderson; Meet Me at the Center: The Story of Seattle Center from the Beginnings to the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair to the 21st Century by Don Duncan; and Seattle and the Demons of Ambition: From Boom to Bust in the Number One City of the Future by Fred Moody. Seattle magazine, circa 1964 to 1970, inspired as well, as did interviews and journals of fair executives Eddie Carlson, Joseph Gandy and Ewen Dingwall.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Gary Fisketjon for his editing prowess and to Jess Walter for his writing camaraderie through the years.
Others who generously helped include Kim Witherspoon, Valerie Ryan, Matt Willkens, Diane Valach, Paul Berendt, Jay Rockey, Gabrielle Brooks, Knute Berger, Roger Sale, Janet Peterson, Mark Matassa, David Tye, Karen McKenzie, Nick Budnick, Lorraine McConaghy and, as always, Denise and Grace Lynch.
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Lynch is the author of the novels Border Songs and The Highest Tide, both of which have been adapted for the stage. His prizes include the 2010 Indies Choice Honor Award, the Washington State Book Award for Fiction, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Book Award and the Livingston Young Journalists Award for National Reporting. Lynch grew up in the Seattle area and now lives in Olympia, Washington, with his wife and daughter.
ALSO BY JIM LYNCH
The Highest Tide
Border Songs
