“Did you see
the mountain today?” my husband and I will ask each other on clear days. Even
after a year, the view of Mt. Rainier never disappoints. Despite living only 45
miles from another iconic Seattle site, the Space Needle, we don’t see that one
nearly as often. It usually takes an out-of-town visitor to motivate us to
venture into the city.
In the novel Truth
Like the Sun by Jim Lynch, the Space Needle is still a novelty. It’s 1962
and the World’s Fair is in its opening days. In Lynch’s books, Roger Morgan is Mr. Seattle. It is Roger that came up
with the idea for the Space Needle. It is Roger that directs the fair that
attracts visitors from across the nation and world, along with dignitaries such
as Prince Philip and Elvis. Morgan spends his days at the fair making friends
and deals. Nights see him in the underground gambling rooms spread around the
city.
Fast-forward four decades. Helen Gulanos, a new hire
at the Post-Intelligencer, is less
than charmed by the city. Assigned to
cover Roger Morgan’s 70th birthday party, she discovers Roger is
running for mayor. Even though Roger has been involved in the political world as
a consultant, he has never run for office. Helen begins researching his past to
find out who the man is behind the myth.
As the novel flip-flops between time periods, it
takes us into the backrooms of political corruption and into the equally
fascinating newsrooms of a city paper. We see the role the media plays in
vetting those running for office. It also reveals the wisdom of hindsight in
knowing which stories to publish and when. As Roger says, “You could line up a
whole bunch of truths about anyone and still miss the ones that really matter.”
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