Plot thickens for online novel
Every now and again conversations in Whitefish circle around to “The Whitefish Novel,” the anonymous online novel that’s as much a social commentary about Whitefish issues as it is a murder mystery.
For those unfamiliar with this continuing saga, the Web novel — at http://thewhitefishnovel.com — has been going since early 2008 and follows the investigation into the murder of Stanley O’Malley at his enormous lakeshore trophy home. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out that O’Malley’s character is modeled after real-life Bill Foley, finance magnate and the majority shareholder of ski resort operator Winter Sports Inc.
The colorful cast includes characters such as retired railroaders Thor Svenningsen and Bull Gerhardt, and Sylvia and Ted Nielson, a professional Seattle couple who built a house on Haskill Creek Road. With folksy banter, they weigh in on the issues of the day in Whitefish, from the “doughnut” jurisdiction battle to the recent “carmageddon” street construction downtown.
The real mystery of “The Whitefish Novel” is who’s writing it. The author has registered the website through an Arizona domain service that allows anonymity. So half the fun of following the novel is trying to figure out who in Whitefish has the obvious encyclopedic knowledge it takes to write in such nuanced detail about the resort town.
And it’s not me. I’ve had the finger pointed my way a few times, but rest assured I’ve never had any aspirations to write a novel. Although I know a lot about Whitefish after covering the City Council and the town for the Daily Inter Lake since 1995 — with a two-year stint as editor of the Whitefish Pilot thrown in during 2003-2004 — there are many things I wouldn’t be able to describe as this anonymous author does, such as the topography of various ski runs on Big Mountain.
Whoever is writing this novel intimately knows Whitefish and doesn’t miss a beat. I have my own short list of suspects, and perhaps someday I’ll solve this “whodunit.”
I’m very intrigued with the level of knowledge this writer has about Whitefish issues and the jabs he or she takes at local politics.
For example, as the author describes the traffic fiasco caused by last fall’s downtown road construction, he makes a reference to “the city protecting its precious Karrow Avenue residents,” as it diverted motorists “through the north half of Whitefish’s cramped downtown, creating a line of traffic a mile long.” Only someone who’s followed Whitefish issues for years would know how successful Karrow Avenue residents have been in keeping subdivision growth away from that area and fighting any attempt to turn Karrow into a bypass route for Whitefish.
In the latest chapter, “Playing the Game,” Thor and Bull’s conversation weighs in on the Big Mountain Jesus statue controversy, foreclosed homes in Whitefish, the railroad’s recent hiring campaign and the presidential election.
A new video game, Whitefish Warcraft, is detailed with an explanation of the players. Among them are the Chamber of Commerce, “silly little business people who complain mildly about city regulations and claim to be promoting economic development”; the Farmers Market, “a coven of ideologues who believe knick-knack sales will save Whitefish”; and Heartfish, “shrill elite businessmen who compete with the Chamber of Commerce for control of downtown Whitefish.”
No one knows how long this novel will continue to ramble about life in Whitefish, or what the ulterior motive of the writing is for that matter, but it’s quite entertaining, especially for those who follow what’s going on in Whitefish. I figure the more people who know about “The Whitefish Novel,” the better my chances are at unveiling the mastermind behind it.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.