Steve's Lost Scrapbook Page
This page contains notes I made during my 1st and 2nd trips through Evan Dara's astonishing debut novel The Lost Scrapbook.
Chapter thumbnails. Well, not really chapters so much as sections. And they're not numbered, or even delineated, the way chapters are in most books. In fact by design the narrative of the entire novel remains unbroken, with only two prominent exceptions on p280 and p401. In parentheses throughout I've included references to other places in the book where an idea might have relevance. (viz., what's discussed on p266 and what's discussed later on p421.)
Page
6 Confrontational interview with career counselor8 The Photographer • Music in park/walking home/Escher books • I've evaded notice for the last 8 days • Back into my house • Moved orange juice and chair, just to prove I exist • Back outside [MEMORY: was putting air into my bike's tires when I was taken hostage at gunpoint • shoplifting] Revisiting the kitchen • neighbor walking dog • Invisibly around • On a park bench
18 Late for meeting • Thoughts on cars that pass in opposite directions at night • Forest firefly video shoot • To Dave's house • grandfather ?
33 Beethoven, Diabelli • My son Michael REALLY wants Tama drums • Doesn't get them • Moves out • Musicology article
42 Nick's sprinkler repair • Grandfather's scrapbook • Animation • Inbetweener • Nick's mitosis lecture/wonderment
50 Rooftop radio antenna installation • Golden Age of Radio (with Raymond) • Our show will resurrect radio ("World of Blondes") • Raymond's condition • The get-together at Neville's to help/remember Raymond • Raymond needs bone marrow (p58.0-5) • Back to the antenna installation
58 Political activist (history teacher) TV interview • Asks neighbors if they're voting • Tied to chair with garden hose • Her Welsh grandfather • started a mid-western town • he's a traveling musician • "Silenced majority"
72 DOUBLE-, TRIPLE- AND QUADRUPLE SPACED. Freebooting into your walkman • Going into the woods • Guy on his knees • leads me deeper an deeper into the woods • monotheism/Akhenaton/Einstein/polytheism has faults too/lost/Walkman Listeners, Unite!/Pharaoh's Tap (right clavicle)
175 Crew member of Ken Flack's Last Show (lighting tech) • Ken is usually very disciplined, but took out cocaine; all partake • Showtime (Copier is broken • Many characters/bits ensue, but parts of the The Ameliorator character seep into subsequent characters • light and sound techs join in) • Guy ranting and raving interrupts show
185 Stony Shore poetry • "Pruning My Language Trees" (Chomsky) • Just got a letter from Robin (#1) • Closeness/kinship • Office relocates • Leukemia miniseries • Not donating marrow • Yearning for words that are my own
191 HE gets up, HE dresses and eats; HE drives to a hotel • HE meets people in hotel room and answers questions • Press conference with cigarette industry rep • "Smoking has never been scientifically proven to cause any illness"
199 Film student visits Prof's office (after death in the family) Piaget, etc.
206 Muffin Factory, saran-wrap machine breaks • Vagrant Zoner collects, rearranges and melts rubber over piles of debris • Vacation time • Muffin delivery to NEXUS • Zoner is a high-end artist(e): debris is his medium • Zoner wins film company's promo contest • rejects 10 grand prize • Gets muffin factory job
Ravel segue
225 Steamy love scene
230 Obsessing on the fraudulence of magazine ads • (Grandfather saves pic Mom & Dad were looking at: for his scrapbook. p233)
233 Removing my body parts and putting them in my head.
236 This is information
237 Letter from Robin (#2) to Rebecca, mom reads it aloud • Chomsky • Rebecca's cough gets worse • Trying to call for help but robo-telemarketer won't hang up
249 Helpful Angelo and his snow-blower & fertilizer & grass seed & fertilizer • Doesn't even ask, just does yard work for me • [oblique grandfather reference, p255.2-4] • Showing the house to dinner dates • motorcycle crash out front • Angelo appears to have done a slightly better job on HIS house
259 Partch Tonality obsessive being questioned after, evidently, assaulting someone
265 Enough & • !#$ distractions! Behold my blackbody
Ravel segue
266 I trust them and they leave • 66 men, all of them (re p421) • Then I met Raymond and everything was different • Then Raymond dumped me • But my father left me too
275 I am a lie (neo-pythagorean rant) • Darwin was wrong • Survival of the one • The purpose of life is maximum possible suffering
278 Ashen people face down, side by side on the linoleum floor • " not like this on the ground like animals" • Now tell me
282 Robin Letter (#3). Chomsky • He is rather selective regarding counterevidence • Invited to appear on Face The Nation • Snubbed • Producer's son needs bone marrow • I'm inadequate next to Chomsky • Leave MIT • Scouring southeastern Virginia for books by/on Piaget • Trip to Petersburg mall • Found a couple of books • Collided with Walkman guy listening to Muzak
298 Driving Archie home from the fair • I went there on a whim • Archie says people really open up to you when you're hitching • Archie opens up about Erwin the gerbil • Archie's musings on Special Relativity • My mom had her father's (i.e. my grandfather's) scrapbook.
311 Wile E. Coyote/Roadrunner deconstruction • Car wouldn't start after movie
318 Parade • kid really crying • gardening/horticulture • Selling off (?) concert tickets • Collectible mechanical coin banks • Bridal registry at Lerner's • Tiny, the bus driver, helps old woman onto the bus • Defaced bagel sign
325 Anthropology study • Tom's first day, following in dad's and grandfather's footsteps • architecture • Trombone gig
330 Rejection letter from Ozark (re building proposal) • Powder blue paint • New sundries counter & buy-days program • Jeremy's not pooping in the normal places • 1/3 acre lot minimum
332 56 acre play field Ð from Ozark!
333 Mother Ozark will take care of any problem • Julie should have listened • Newfangled CD jukebox • Curt White's eyes are visibly irritated
335 Why should we bite the hand that feeds us?
336 More steamy love (re p225)
337 Bread slicer • Ozark's been here since 1880 • All evidence says they're good • Coupon clipper (episode with Becky)
339 "Without Chemicals, life itself would be impossible."
340 'They took care of their obligations' • Solvents in the air • Close to the elementary school • 22 pipes there • 60 person clean-up crew
341 METHYL CHLORIDE. Water test wells • replaced 6 pipes • film chemical • "no reason for health concern" • George Fobel reassures • Ozark offers home improvement loans • Inevitable, predictable • Layoffs will be kept to a minimum • Meramac Caverns offer • Museum/memorial proposal • HARD weightlifting • Can hardly sleep/husband's nightmares • Neighbor is angry about it, wants to move • Having to give up jogging
346 9 MONTHS AFTER. Nothing bad at all • Lab doesn't concur (private lab) • Naturally filtered by rock layers • government should do tests
348 Methyl chloride in samples • MC is natural, everywhere already • Organic produce only • City Council say MC poses NO THREAT
350 Two more chemicals found: Acetone & methanol • "Alarmism is unjustified" • Water god • Mona is flippo anyway finds saddle-shaped bedrock • MC is a carcinogen • "Nothing there" • All these controversies blow over • Shaking hands • Discolored dishwasher • Rejected leukemia classified ad • Dog losing too much hair • E G D S L
361 Ozark exec dumps Mona (re p274) • They wouldn't take my laundry • Afraid to lie down on the ground to work on my boat • Shower fumes • 2/5 acre per lot • Ronaldson (Ozark spokesman) starts to spin • I hope the house burns down while I'm away • Ozark knew since 1973 • Ozark runs damage control ads • Woman in stands is upbraided at hockey game • Lab employee, "They are a big customer..."
367 State finally investigates • 'High cancer rates don't mean anything' • Town clerk fired • Contaminated breast milk ("What was I giving?") • Not 600 gallons 60,000. • Mona's still running tests • State wants to raise CH3Cl limits
371 TOWN MEETING. (In PS 41, 10 months after pipe burst.) Fobel • Eight Point Protection Plan • County Health Director • Doctor from Lincoln • 'All is normal, really.' • Q & A • "This is not Love Canal!" Fobel gets annoyed • Mona shouted down by crowd, rebuffed by Fobel • Fobel: You wanna hear what we're NOT saying? FINE. HERE'S WHAT WE'RE NOT SAYING
405 Jacket snap • VCR installation • Tea shop • Roy Rogers • Beetlejuice • Ma, we have to go • Forgot my own phone number • Aging landscaper • Nosebleed • Piaget Theory re Object Permanence
412 Young woman comes in and tells her story retired from marriage son's gerbil died (re p303)
414 Dad got nothing from the fridge • Nonet Minus One gig goes flat should we add a guitar? • Fixing Jason's bike, remembering priorities • I need to know my child's thoughts • Key West: Lost Cardinals ballcap, found Fobel in town
420 Citizen's Reclamation Committee mailings • Ozark memo found • 66 poisonous chemicals (re p266) • Wasn't this taken care of? • Committee's HQ office? • Town Hall: no help • Police • 'I don't want to put my shopping in the kitchen'
427 Letter #2 from Water Control • Ozark PR guy gets snippy • Do I trust this committee • Can I reuse a sponge? • I boil everything • Why think? • I fear • He works in it everyday • I can say nothing
433 I accidentally said the name Jeremy in front of Darryl
435 This was YOUR idea • Never forgive you • Our pond contaminated a neighbor's yard • Another Ozark memo "found" by CRC • Vomiting, shaking, ears ringing • Houses depreciating • $500 fine for posting a For Sale sign • Missouri Dept. of Health coming
441 Newspaper blowing smoke • CRC woman has Ozark memo • 'We must organize' • Retest (contaminated results) • State coordinating with County ('they'll see my medical records')
447 DEC has older reports • Ozark has actually claimed that trespassers did it • Compulsive smoking and eating
Suing on behalf of a TREE • Local apathy • TV/radio show • Called many agencies, national ones
455 Waste delivery invoice • C-56 or Hexa • Join us for a meeting Friday, July 8.
458 TV REPORTS. Hexa found in Isaura • Ozark: "We do not use C-56 and we have never used C-56" • State Attorney General: "We have to be sure our children are not being poisoned " • Enough is a good as a feast until today • Brawl at Marketplace
460 TV REPORTS. 56% chance of birth defects • "Report flawed" says DEC, State & Ozark • Two new chemicals found • My daughter says I should have another child
463 TV REPORTS. 'Trace amounts of C-56 have no clinical significance' • Houston company says chemicals caused gene aberrations (State denies it) • Missouri Dept. of Health says miscarriage rates in Isaura are over 4x higher than normal • C-56 @ 12,000 parts per billion
468 Ozark: Well, yeah, we do use C-56 • USGS water quality warning • teen's suicide
469 State Supreme Court issues cease & desist against Ozark • US Dept of Justice & Missouri sue Ozark
470 EVACUATION ORDER. Fresh water trucked into Isaura • 80 evacuation buses at the ready
471 What to take with us...this can't be goodbye...
472 Roads out of town
473 Candidate's insulation suit photo-op • Letters to Wheatland Street Tree
474 postmarked from 150 - 160 "trauma-kindred" towns
476 Who could imagine such betrayal?