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

Confrontational interview with career counselor

8 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 – 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 CH 3 Cl 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?