I look upon the whole thing as a mistaken response. Like the faulty reaction of an immune system that attacks the very tissues of the body.
Nineteen hundred and nine is the year of the first divergences. Helen Nash has finally shown this to all the experts’ satisfaction, though neither she nor anyone else can say why the multiverse should have split the way it did, or whether Sleight’s death was, in fact, the catalyst for all that followed, or what caused that death. No doubt, as observers from both known worlds continue to scrutinize the brief part of the twentieth century that we all share, an earlier divergence will be found. For now, Hel’s museum takes up both floors of the restored cottage, and it is called Divergence Memorial House. It runs on charitable donations furnished by the curious and the sentimental, including myself. And at my request, Mr. Jin’s story appears there, alongside that of Dr. Jin.
No. My father did not believe in fate, Jin Bingbing wrote to me, when I asked this question of her. But those words traveled back and forth across kilometers of land and ocean, deciphered for me by one of my young Chinese students who helps with my correspondence. Like me, this student is a sociologist; he has no training in the art of translation. Who knows whether the rendering from Cantonese to English was done skillfully. The question remains: What is fate?
Another gleaning from one of Ms. Jin’s emails. Less equivocal, less open to interpretation. For the rest of his life, my father never went to Nanjing again.
What is fate? What are its qualities? What is its nature? I think of myself as I was, years ago, giving up on my new weaker grip and biting the cap of a bottle in my teeth. I think of Teresa Klay, her little wave at the security camera.
I like to imagine a world where that footage exists. I picture a flat-screen hung just inside the door of the new museum. Ree—there one moment and gone the next. Good-bye.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I owe heartfelt thanks to a long list of people.
To Stacia Decker, my agent, for having my back and fielding a million questions. To Tony Perez, my editor, who understood the story I wanted to tell and guided its refinement. To Jakob Vala, for creating a beautiful design and to Anne Horowitz and Meg Storey, for a keen copyedit and a precise proofread. To Arielle Datz, Alana Csaposs, Sabrina Wise and everyone at Tin House Books and at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
To Pinckney Benedict, who told me that this idea could be a book. To other fine teachers: Scott Blackwood, Edward Brunner, Dean Crawford, Beth Lordan, Julie Rose and Paul Russell. To the W. K. Rose Fellowship Committee for a vote of confidence on which I couldn’t put a price.
To all my New York City roommates, coworkers and back-in-the-day lovers. Also, to the underappreciated city of Carbondale, Illinois and the friends who kept me going during the gestation of this book, including Emily Rose Cole, Talib Fletter and family, Me-Chelle Hall, Maria Romasco Moore, Natalie Nash, Sandra Sidi, Brandon Timm, Honna Veerkamp, and Kate Worzala. And to Ms. Patty Norris, whose warm welcome convinced me to come there in the first place.
To Mary Kate Varnau for providing a valuable example of professionalism as well as hospitality at all hours and good conversation. To Toni Judnitch, whose comeradship continually delights and improves me, even at long distance. To the many fellow writers from whose work and comments I have learned.
To my longtime ride-or-die companions, Lindsay MacCallum, Phillip Wilson-Camhi and especially Sabina-Elease Utley. Here's to another fifteen years.
To Libby Westie and Joel Brattin, dear parents and voracious readers. To my brother, John Brattin, who is good at sharing. To the rest of my large and loving family.
And to my strong and fascinating wife, Shaylla Chess—partner, confidante and inspiration. I dream with you.
About the Author
K CHESS is the author of short stories honored by the Nelson Algren Literary Award and the Pushcart Prize. She was a W. K. Rose Fellow, earned an MFA from Southern Illinois University, and currently teaches at GrubStreet. She lives with her wife in Providence, Rhode Island.
Copyright
TIN HOUSE BOOKS / Portland, OregonCopyright © 2019 K Chess
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact Tin House Books, 2617 NW Thurman St., Portland, OR 97210.
Published by Tin House Books, Portland, Oregon
Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Names: Chess, K, author.
Title: Famous men who never lived / by K Chess.
Description: First U.S. edition. | Portland, Oregon : Tin House Books, 2018.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018041655 | ISBN 9781947793248 (hardcover) | ISBN 978-1-947793-25-5 (ebook)
Subjects: | GSAFD: Alternative histories (Fiction)
Classification: LCC PS3603.H4855 F36 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018041655
First U.S. Edition 2019
Interior design by Jakob Vala