This was a great first read of 2018! I love how Jamie Ford took the historical elements surrounding Seattle's two 20th Century World Fairs and wove them into a fascinating and sometimes disturbing story. In his afterword, he wrote, "my de facto muse seems to be a never-ending appetite for lost history -- the need to constantly turn over rocks and look at the squish things underneath," and he does this beautifully. I liked learning about Harris Teeter major characters, and the mystery of which woman Ernest ends up with and why. Ford's novel also raises questions about human trafficking, the rights and treatment of women, politics, and other issues.