Ian Lewis's Blog: Ian Lewis Fiction - Posts Tagged "the-camaro-muders"
A timeline for The Camaro Murders
The Camaro Murders was an experiment. I wanted to write something that would be valued by readers who like to think--readers who like to dig into the story and figure things out for themselves. So I tried to strike a balance between dropping carefully nuanced details and force-feeding explanations for things like the mechanics of the super-physical world, the origin of the Driver, Ezra Mendelssohn's motive, and so forth. If successful, the reader's interest is piqued and he or she re-reads the story to glean a better understanding of what happened between two winters, thirteen years apart. If not, then the cult following and forums discussing how an Irish Wolfhound might fit inside a Camaro, even a phantom one, would remain an outlandish what-if.
Yes, The Camaro Murders is unconventional in a sense. Some readers may not "get it." Some may even accuse it of being too literary. I still like the story nonetheless. The reader gets to drop in for a while and observe before dropping back out. To me, it's that snapshot that keeps me thinking after I've finished reading/watching/listening.
That being said, I thought it would be helpful to provide a timeline for The Camaro Murders to help fill-in some of the (intentional) gaps:
October 27th, 1986: Culver Crisp walks home from school with Starla Jenkins.
October 28th, 1986: Starla disappears in the woods during recess.
October 30th, 1986: The Driver watches over Starla in the Upper Territory; he explains she was murdered and promises she won’t be hurt again.
November 26th, 1986: The Driver has his first altercation with Tickseed; Jasper comes to his aid.
November 29th, 1986: Ezra Mendelssohn tries to kill Culver. The Driver, sent to gather Culver’s soul, instead helps Culver fight-off Mendelssohn.
January 16th, 1987: The Driver leads a group of wanderlings into Mendelssohn’s consciousness in an attempt to ‘scare’ him; the strain on Mendelssohn’s mental faculties induces a stroke. Later that night, Mendelssohn is found dead in his home; Deputy Eustace Hildersham arrives at the scene and later chases a suspicious Camaro in his cruiser.
January 5th, 1999: The Driver learns that August Burroughs will soon be murdered.
January 8th, 1999: August is murdered after trying to steal Halfacre from his drunken owner.
January 10th, 1999: August wakes up in the Territory and finds Halfacre is with him. After speaking with the Driver, August decides to set out with Halfacre. They later meet Conrad and Tickseed.
February 7th, 1999: August is torn between Tickseed and the Driver as to whose side he should be on.
February 10th, 1999: August decides to help the Driver. On their way into the physical world, August and Halfacre are intercepted by Tickseed who is then overtaken by a group of wanderlings.
February 19th, 1999: Culver leaves college to spend the weekend at his old house. Later that night, Sheriff Hildersham is revisited by the Camaro for the first time in thirteen years.
February 20th, 1999: Culver goes to breakfast after dreaming about “the man and his dog” the night before. Later that evening, August and Halfacre come to gather Culver’s soul. Meanwhile, in bed, Sheriff Hildersham wonders about the reappearance of the Camaro. Before drifting off to sleep, the Camaro returns, this time outside his house.
February 23rd, 1999: The Driver’s appearances having re-awakened interest in the case, Hildersham investigates the old Mendelssohn farm and finds Starla’s remains buried in the barn’s cellar.
Yes, The Camaro Murders is unconventional in a sense. Some readers may not "get it." Some may even accuse it of being too literary. I still like the story nonetheless. The reader gets to drop in for a while and observe before dropping back out. To me, it's that snapshot that keeps me thinking after I've finished reading/watching/listening.
That being said, I thought it would be helpful to provide a timeline for The Camaro Murders to help fill-in some of the (intentional) gaps:
October 27th, 1986: Culver Crisp walks home from school with Starla Jenkins.
October 28th, 1986: Starla disappears in the woods during recess.
October 30th, 1986: The Driver watches over Starla in the Upper Territory; he explains she was murdered and promises she won’t be hurt again.
November 26th, 1986: The Driver has his first altercation with Tickseed; Jasper comes to his aid.
November 29th, 1986: Ezra Mendelssohn tries to kill Culver. The Driver, sent to gather Culver’s soul, instead helps Culver fight-off Mendelssohn.
January 16th, 1987: The Driver leads a group of wanderlings into Mendelssohn’s consciousness in an attempt to ‘scare’ him; the strain on Mendelssohn’s mental faculties induces a stroke. Later that night, Mendelssohn is found dead in his home; Deputy Eustace Hildersham arrives at the scene and later chases a suspicious Camaro in his cruiser.
January 5th, 1999: The Driver learns that August Burroughs will soon be murdered.
January 8th, 1999: August is murdered after trying to steal Halfacre from his drunken owner.
January 10th, 1999: August wakes up in the Territory and finds Halfacre is with him. After speaking with the Driver, August decides to set out with Halfacre. They later meet Conrad and Tickseed.
February 7th, 1999: August is torn between Tickseed and the Driver as to whose side he should be on.
February 10th, 1999: August decides to help the Driver. On their way into the physical world, August and Halfacre are intercepted by Tickseed who is then overtaken by a group of wanderlings.
February 19th, 1999: Culver leaves college to spend the weekend at his old house. Later that night, Sheriff Hildersham is revisited by the Camaro for the first time in thirteen years.
February 20th, 1999: Culver goes to breakfast after dreaming about “the man and his dog” the night before. Later that evening, August and Halfacre come to gather Culver’s soul. Meanwhile, in bed, Sheriff Hildersham wonders about the reappearance of the Camaro. Before drifting off to sleep, the Camaro returns, this time outside his house.
February 23rd, 1999: The Driver’s appearances having re-awakened interest in the case, Hildersham investigates the old Mendelssohn farm and finds Starla’s remains buried in the barn’s cellar.
