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?