The Evan Dara Affinity

This section of Evan Dara’s The Lost Scrapbook has been complicated by the revelation of Noam Chomsky’s relationship with Jeffrey Ep*tein in 2015, which began when the linguistic trailblazer was a spry 86. But it’s one of the most lyrically textured vignettes in the book, delivered through one of the buoyant letters written by Robin, whose playful postal epistles serve as recurring stitches that help maintain this community of voices.

I don’t know if this is based on an actual event, but it’s written so convincingly, especially concerning Chomsky’s mannerisms and the reverential way students often fawned over him while keeping a certain emotional distance, that it wouldn’t surprise me if it really happened.