An Ode to Tom Robbins

I am one of the luckiest girls in the world. My roommate is also my best friend. And sometimes she gives me her books to read. A couple months ago she handed me a book called Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins saying, "this is really weird (and really good), it made me think of you, you should read it." At the time, I was waiting for my new book to arrive in the mail, so it seemed like a good distraction until the real book came along.

The opening chapters were weird. Really, really weird. I couldn't follow the plot (was there a plot?) and while I was intrigued by the characters I was also confused by them. Was John Paul Ziller a tribute to a rock legend that my limited knowledge of all things musical could not understand? How old is Amanda, really? And what mystical powers does she hold? But while nothing in the book seemed to make sense, I couldn't stop reading it. Slowly yet surely the characters rounded themselves out, the plot came into alignment and the narrator became full of life (literally).

The basic premise of the book is that the newlyweds, Amanda and John Paul start a hotdog stand and zoo. The zoo quickly turns into a less than rambunctious insectarium, as the duo is not willing to cage animals (one of their housemates is a seasoned circus baboon). We follow this couple, the narrator, and their friends on a strange journey filled with philosophical, theological and social questions, criticisms and explanations. But it is not the truth seeking banter that keeps readers engaged, it’s the mystical and lovely Amanda, the dancing flees, and the giant hotdog visible from down the road.

Sarah and I really felt like we had fallen upon the next cult classic, so you can imagine our delight when we saw a sign for an INSECTARIUM right off the HIGHWAY on our way from Rocky Harbor to Twillingate. You can even imagine how our excitement grew when Mark said, “hey, I think I know the guy that owns that!”

Needless to say, we eagerly pulled into the driveway, silently praying for a hot dog stand as well. To our disappointment the insectarium was still not open for the season, but thanks to our daring and cunning (and maybe a little bit that Mark was an old family friend), we got our own private tour!

They had just received their first shipment of butterflies, but they were not butterflies yet! They were rows of cocoons of caterpillars just waiting to blossom into beautiful butterflies. The insectarium used to be an old farm, so the upstairs display is in the old hay loft. The high ribbed ceiling gave a sense of authenticity to the insect displays all around the room. They had an impressive collection. It had everything from local to exotic. One of my favourite pieces was the gold beetle. This looks how it sounds and each beetle goes for about $500-$1000 (CDN?). In the car on the way over, Mark told us that the owner of the insectarium used to have a brooch with a live beetle in it, and our tour confirmed this is a popular accessory among insect enthusiasts.

Unfortunately there was no hot dog stand, but it was the very first roadside insectarium that I have ever been to, and coincidence that it was on the Masaka road trip just after I had finished the book? I think not mon amigos, I think not. 

The Newfoundland Insectarium can be found at 2 Bonne Bay Road, Reidville, NL.