Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie FordMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Love and Other Consolation Prizes is set mostly in Seattle, but the international backgrounds of the main characters are part of what makes this story so fascinating. The book tells the tale of Ernest Young, the illegitimate son of an American missionary and a Chinese woman who was too poor to take care of her children. Ernest's mother had no choice but to send him to America, hoping he'd have a better life there.
The novel starts in 1962, after Ernest has spent the vast majority of his life in Seattle, married to Gracie, a woman he met when he was a child. Gracie is suffering from dementia, so when Juju, one of their two daughters, who is also a reporter, decides to write a story about their lives, Juju goes to Ernest to learn about her parents' experiences. The story moves back and forth between Ernest's present life and his memories of the past.
The 1962 World's Fair (The Century 21 Exposition) in Seattle is generating much curiosity about the 1909 World's Fair in the same city (The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition). One of the events at the 1909 fair was the raffling of a half Chinese boy, supposedly to a “good home.” Juju believes this bit of history has something to do with her father, which is part of the motivation behind the article she's working on. She's right, but there's more to the story than what she can imagine and Ernest is worried about the reaction of his neighbors and friends if the entire story comes out.
Back in 1909, Ernest ends up as a houseboy at an upscale brothel where he meets two girls his own age, Maisie, the daughter of the brothel's madam, and Fahn, one of the maids. As these three young people grow, a love triangle develops, but one with a strong friendship between all. Part of the fun of this story comes with learning what happened in the past through clues presented in the present.
Jamie Ford is an excellent writer. I recommend this book and I will be reading more of his work.
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