ZEROVILLE By Steve Erickson Zeroville beings in 1969 on Hollywood Boulevard, when a Greyhound bus drops off a film-obsessed ex-seminarian with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift tattooed on his head. Vikar Jerome steps into the vortex of a cultural transformation: rock ‘n’ roll, sex, drugs, and—far more important to him—the decline of the movie studios and the rise of the independent director. Jerome will become a film editor of astonishing vision. Then through encounters with former starlets, burglars, political guerillas, punk musicians, and veteran filmmakers, he discovers the astonishing secret that lies in every movie ever made. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Erickson employs a very interesting structure, using numbered vignettes increasing and decreasing instead of a more traditional narrative. What is the effect of reading novels with unusual structures? Can you think of other examples of unusually-structured novels that impacted your reading experience? 2. The style of this novel is often surreal or dreamlike. What might this say about the fictional world of film? About the world we live in? 3. Based on characters’ reactions to Vikar’s tattoo, how do you think the general perception of body art has changed over time? What are your thoughts on piercings and tattoos? 4. How did you interpret Vikar’s arrest and interrogation? What, if anything, does it foreshadow? 5. Nomenclature in this novel is quite unusual. What meaning did you attach to characters’ names? Consider Ike “Vikar” Jerome, Viking Man, Soledad Palladin, Zazi, and others. 6. How does Vikar’s past influence his personality and actions? Did you see a change in his character throughout the novel? Discuss. 7. Discuss the connections between Zeroville and older literature and stories, specifically the legend of Perceval and Abraham’s biblical sacrifice of his son Isaac. How does Vikar’s life mirror these stories? 8. Film is very clearly a shaping force of Vikar’s life. What mode of art do you find the most influential or inspiring? The least influential or inspiring? Discuss. 9. Section 227 reads, “Vikar doesn’t know it, but everything now has been reset to zero” (179). How did you interpret this moment? What is the importance of this occurring after his return to Los Angeles and his violent visions of Soledad? 10. It’s possible to say that among other themes, Zeroville examines the supernatural power of films over people and how celebrities and films become like gods. Do you agree with this idea or disagree? What moments in the text support this assumption or contradict it? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Erickson is the author of several novels, including Tours of the Black Clock, Rubicon Beach, The Sea Came in at Midnight, Our Ecstatic Days, and Arc d’X. His books have been translated into a dozen languages. He is the film critic for Los Angeles magazine and editor of the literary journal Black Clock, which is published by CalArts where he teaches writing. He lives with his family in Topanga Canoyn. This reading group guide is available for free download at http://www.europaeditions.com/readinggroups.php .