Saugus to the Sea

by Bill Brown

It's never a good thing when your world turns weird and you're the only one who notices. Beyond the smog of L.A. is Saugus, a California everytown where Billy Brown's life is rapidly becoming the stuff of conspiracy theory. When Billy discovers a network of antique underground sprinklers in the town of California City he is plunged in a world where nothing is what it seems. Soon Billy is investigating the missing Saugus to the Sea road, the shady goings-on at the Caltech Earthquake Hotline and a mysterious cabal of Arbor Day anarchists intent on turning Hollywood Boulevard into a forest preserve. Bill Brown's debut novel vividly evokes the geography of underground L.A. Beyond the Hollywood sign is a hidden world of radical bike riders, straight-edge punk gigs, guerrilla gardeners, colleges which teach Botanical Politics and desert towns where the Blessed Virgin Mary still puts in an appearance. Saugus to the Sea includes twelve original black and white illustrations by Brad Yung.

186 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2001

Reviews

[Hallie Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saugus to the Sea (2001) by Bill Brown

It took me a little while to get fully invested, but once the ball is rolling it's a wonderful time. Bill Brown is so great at that kind of shower-thought narrative, and all of the little stories and moments throughout get better and better. Lots of poignant moments, a fun little earnest mystery, and a general good time.

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

bill brown is the the guy who writes "dream whip" zine, which i have been reading & distributing for years. but i never knew he wrote a book! what a surprise. i found this at the anchor archive zine library when i was doing the residency program there. so of course i read it. it wasn't, like, the best book ever, but it was pretty interesting. the protaganist, who i think is named bill, is all obsessed with these old road maps in the southern california deserts, where he lives (& which i have traveled through--talk about desolation & terror; i may never recover). some of the maps (or one) shows a road that goes from suagus, where he lives, all the way to the ocean, but the road doesn't really seem to exist & he can't find it on any other maps. he also works installing sprinkler systems, & there is a mystery with some antique sprinkler heads he finds in the ground, which maybe have a connection to they mystery road, & also maybe have something to do with earthquake prediction, which is the work that his new love interest does. & additionally, he has an obsession with these lost dog posters he keeps seeing everywhere. basically, he is a very obsessive guy with a very specific set of obsessive interests, which is kind of like bill the author, which you will know if you have read "dream whip". all of these obsessions coalesce into the conclusion, which i recall being kind of smart & interesting, but damned if i can remember how it all works out. funny how sometimes i can remember a lot of random plot elements, but forget how a book actually ends. i guess it keeps life interesting in the event of re-reads.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating this was tough as overall it's a bit meandering, but damn near every line in it is quotable. It was a fun read but not life changing.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/8PFkAVPyZhE

Enjoy!

[Ryan Leonard]

Excellent book to read after moving to LA a week ago. On my list to visit: Gaylord bar, California City, the LA subway. Brown is an ever-inspiring traveler/filmmaker/writer, with an endlessly curious fixation on road signs, abandoned railroads, living ghost towns. He treats his self-initiated anthropological studies like he's solving a murder mystery that the whole town's in on. Though ambiguously autobiographical, he writes this like his dream whips: adventurous, lonely, constantly investigating with semi-cynical wonder.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Saugus, so this book was great fun just for that. Besides that, it's still an interesting Pynchon-esque mystery type of deal, with a lot of interesting observations and authentic atmosphere.. just don't expect an ending!

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned from this book that Los Angeles is like a Transformer...there's more than meets the eye.

[Alejandro Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me lo regaló Rena, su hermano hizo las ilustraciones del libro. El estilo es excelente, las descripciones que hace el protagonista son frescas, la trama es el punto débil, será que me perdí de algo.