Truth Like the Sun by Jim Lynch
Reviewer: Jennifer Roman
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Date: 4/16/2012

Taking part in two different eras, Jim Lynch offers readers a unique view into something as amazing and corrupting as a World’s Fair.

In 1962 Seattle, Roger Morgan is the newest celebrity to hit America. Not because he is a dreamy actor or an amazing athlete. Instead, it is because he brings his imagination to fruition by building a World’s Fair in the untamed Pacific Northwest, introducing the world to what will become “One of the best cities in the world.”

Helen Gulanos is a local reporter known for her skewering of politicians. Her latest assignment is to cover the 1962 World’s Fair in current-day 2001. While researching, she uncovers information that could hurt Roger’s current attempt at running for mayor in Seattle. What she finds, however, is all circumstantial and difficult to prove. Is Roger truly as wonderful as everyone believes, or is he the corrupt scoundrel she thinks he might be?

What makes this story so interesting is that while Roger and Helen are fictional, the event itself is real. Learning about 1960’s America while being entertained by two engaging characters is the best of both worlds. With so little known about the World’s Fair, it was fun to imagine the card houses, the kickbacks to police forces and the bribery everywhere. This book transports the reader back to the early 1960s to learn about the times and people. It’s an easy read that will delight and entertain.

Rated PG
Book provided by Inkwell Management