A friend told me I needed to read this book, so I did and found that I liked it quite a bit.
It generally got Seattle right - I lived there 9 years and can relate. My friend says Bernadette is like her and she may be correct! Bernadette is a genius - so is my friend, although she won't admit it. And Bernadette tells things like they are! She is definitely a character worth getting to know.
Semple writes the story in a unique way - it is written as emails, letters, FBI documents, legal documents, a psychiatrist's evaluation and more.
Bernadette's daughter Bee, is the heart of the book, as she is what is best about children raised in a place like Seattle! The book made me laugh out loud and feel sad at the same time as I watched Bernadette and Bee and the pain of their relationships with the people around them.
Near the end of the book Bernadette writes the following to Bee about Seattle weather:
"All those ninnies have it wrong. The best thing about Seattle is the weather. The world over, people have ocean views. But across our ocean is Bainbridge Island, an evergreen curb, and over it the exploding, craggy, snow-scraped Olympics. I guess what I am saying: I miss it, the mountains and the water."
I agree. I miss it too, but this book gives some of Seattle back to me.
Sorry though, one quibble. I am a retired law librarian and I get a bit irritated with authors who get the legal parts wrong. Semple quotes the correct Revised Code of Washington, but a police report is headed,
STATE OF WASHINGTON
CIRCUIT COURT
KING COUNTY
King County has a District Court and a Superior Court - no Circuit Court!!
Despite this quibble, this is a funny family story well worth reading, even if you have never had the pleasure of living in the Pacific Northwest.
Perhaps she was referring to the Seattle "outpost" at the William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse, 1010 Fifth Avenue, Room 430,
ReplyDeleteSeattle WA 98104-1195. I was reading that the Clerks there are required to maintain records of all documents filed with the courts. So it seems like it *could* have been in the realm of possibility. But in any event, I agree that if that were the case, the address would probably not say King County, it would say Seattle. (I also discovered that in many states have trial courts of original jurisdiction that they call circuit courts, but Washington State is not one of them as I am sure you know!) I furthermore found that the Washington Supreme Court now travels several times a year to hear cases in local jurisdictions across Washington and so is sometimes referred to as "circuit-riding" court, however, as you also know, it is in Olympia, but I thought that was an interesting tidbit! :--) Well, I missed that of course, being a RETIRED librarian, ha ha, but extremely odd that she would use the actual word "circuit" without having any basis for doing that. Therefore I vote for the Clerk's Office explanation! :--)
She has it wrong but I like your attempt at an explanation as to why. ;-)
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