Seattle in Shorts

A novel about dealing with the shadows of the past in 21st century Seattle. Martine Brown, a Seattle ex-pat, leaves London after a bereavement-related mental health breakdown to move to Poulsbo, Washington State. First she will spend November 2013 in Seattle, where she plans to re-visit old haunts, in the hope of recovering her mental strength. That plan goes awry, but she finds help from new (and renewed) friendships. Each chapter is a Day in the Month of Martine. As an interlude to each chapter there is a talking head short story from a member of one of Seattle's minority communities talking about the past or present suffering of another Seattle minority community. There is a particular focus on the Japanese American, Native American, and LGBT communities.

Additional Information The novel was inspired by the 2012 commemorations in Seattle of both the 50th anniversary of the World's Fair and the 70th anniversary of Japanese Internment. A particular influence was the iconic internment photograph of Fumiko Hayashida holding her daughter while she waited to be taken by ferry to Seattle from Bainbridge Island and onto a concentration camp. There is a strong rock music theme with The 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's suicide, the AIDS-related death of Freddie Mercury, and the London and Seattle lives of Jimi Hendrix featuring prominently in Martine's storyline. Chief Seattle of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes is also a key reference point in a novel about the city named after him.