Back in high school, Bee was in a horrible car accident that seriously injured her best friends and left her in chronic pain. In writing Trail of the Shadows, she writes letters to everyone involved, allowing readers to get an insider's view of the aftermath of tragedy.

Much of this zine has the potential to be powerful. The writing is clear, the layout simple, with just a few graphics from the region in Mount Rainier National Park where the accident happened. She lets the words stand on their own merits, and in telling her friends what's gone on since then, we see how the incident itself happened. We follow Bee from the carefree moments beforehand through to the day the zine was written, and all the insurance nightmares, court appearances and lost futures therein.

The problem I found isn't necessarily in the content itself, but the presentation. This is a tiny little zine, with six letters inside. Though the letters are wonderfully written, there just aren't enough of them for me to justify spending $2 on it, when that same $2 could get me a lot more elsewhere. It also occurred to me that Bee seems to have healed herself in her writing, but in doing so, there are places that are abstract or unclear for those of us who don't spend every day on the inside of her head. The layout is incredibly basic -- just text and a few graphics on the cover -- which doesn't lend itself to the pricing, either. It's just too high for such a small zine.

All in all, Trail of the Shadows may be worth a trade, if Bee accepts your offering. (Thirdhand, I've heard she doesn't accept most, but I actually purchased this, so I don't know for certain.) You can order a copy by sending $2 to Bee Lavender at P.O. Box 1525, Portland, OR 97212. If you're on a limited budget, however, I'd find another, more content-rich place to spend it.

[ by Elizabeth Badurina ]
Rambles: 25 May 2002