The Tin Roof Blowdown – James Lee Burke

The overwhelmingly melancholy tone of James Lee Burke’s latest novel, The Tin Roof Blowdown, seems especially apt given both its subject matter, the destruction of New Orleans, and the late middle age of his protagonist, Dave Robicheaux. Set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a natural phenomenon that served to reveal government indifference to the plight of the poor, the selfishness, brutality and callousness of the citizenry, and the noblest responses humanity is capable of, the novel explores the themes typical of Burke’s works: greed, depravity, violence, and the always tantalizing possibility of redemption.

Burke is at his narrative best, telling a story that begins with a seemingly routine looting of a flood-ravaged home by four black men, Bertrand and Eddy Melanchon, their cousin Andre Rochon, and Rochon’s nephew, Kevin. However, owing to both the ownership of the house and what has been stolen, as well as a sudden explosion of violence, the crime turns out to be anything but routine, and has far-reaching consequences for all of the story’s principals: an insurance adjuster, Otis Baylor, whose daughter Thelma previously suffered a traumatizing assault; the wife of the adjuster, Melanie; Dave’s longtime friend Clete Purcell as well as Dave and his family – wife Molly and daughter Alafair.

The usual masterful elements of Burke’s plot and characterization are present in this engrossing tale, but there is also something more: the pervasive imagery of death and mortality. There is, for all intents and purposes, the death of New Orleans, the great city which holds the key to much of Dave’s past and identity. As well, in addition to graphic depictions of violence and death, there is a new element: a distinct sense of Dave’s mortality. Throughout the entire series of Robicheaux novels, readers have always understood the precariousness of his existence arising from the war between his self-destructive tendencies and his nobler impulses, as well as the violent world he inhabits as a law-enforcement officer. This time, however, there are more overt musings on time winding down. Consider the following passage, as Clete tells Dave about a dream he had:

I was walking in a woods and I could smell fall in the air. There were leaves and mushrooms all over the ground, and air vines were hanging from the trees. When I came out of the woods, you were standing on the edge of a stream with a suitcase by your foot, like you were about to go on a trip. You said, ‘You walked over a grave, Clete. Didn’t you see it?’ Then you waded into the water.

The connotation of his dream made something drop in my chest, like a stone tumbling down a wall.

‘What do you think it means?’ he said.

‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘Dreams are just dreams.’

Throughout his entire writing career, James Lee Burke has required that his readers confront the realities of life, both bad and good. Acknowledging the finitude of life is just one more of those realities, but one cannot help but wonder if the author is also telling us about his plans for the literary fate of his aging protagonist, Dave Robicheaux.

Jesus Out to Sea – James Lee Burke

Even those not especially fond of the short story genre will find much to savor in this collection of short stories by well-known author James Lee Burke. Many will be familiar with the dark themes that emerge in his novels, especially the Dave Robicheaux series, and they are certainly much in evidence in these stories, almost all set in the past of over 50 years ago, except for the last one, entitled Jesus Out to Sea.

Each of the stories, like so much of Burke’s other writing, carries with them the duality of human nature. We sense that sudden and brutal violence is never far from the surface of our souls, yet at the same time, we are reminded that the possibility of redemption is there as well. This duality is especially powerful in A Season of Regret, which begins with a retired professor simply trying to protect his property rights, progresses through an act of defending a seemingly defenseless woman, and ends in a violent outcome not likely to be anticipated by the reader; this outcome , though not directly involving the protagonist, is one he must take ultimate responsibility for.

Even in the short but brutal The Village, told from the perspective of an American operative, probably a CIA agent, there is just the slightest suggestion of redemptive
possibilities. Throughout most of this four page tale, the unnamed protagonist engages in a litany of excuses for the shedding of innocent blood. It is only at the end, while engaged in a brutal act to dispatch a troublesome Mennonite that he seems to acknowledge wrongdoing, by repeating her final words, You must change your way. If the reporting of these five words marks the beginning of that change, all may not be lost for the operative.

Probably the most moving, and certainly the most recent in terms of setting, is the last story, Jesus Out to Sea. Set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, through the eyewitness descriptions of the protagonist, the odor of failure permeates the narrative – not only the failure of government in its reaction to the disaster, but also the failure of the city of New Orleans, in its transition form a city of hope, camaraderie, and music to a repository of drugs, crime, and desperation. A story offering little of the hope evident in many of the previous tales, its central image of the remnant of a destroyed church, Jesus on a cross, floating away in the floodwaters, is an apt symbol in this chronicle of disillusionment.

For the reader who is not uncomfortable confronting the more unpleasant aspects of life, this collection, eleven in total, has much to offer.

Author Recommendation #3 – James Lee Burke

My third summer reading selection, James Lee Burke and his Dave Robicheaux series, is by far the darkest. As an author, Burke has all of the attributes of both Colin Dexter and Michael Connelly, but his explorations of character, informed by questions of good and evil and the pursuit of redemption, often make for some very dark excursions into the human condition.

Like Dexter and Connelly’s protagonists, Dave ages throughout the series; while originally a member of the New Orleans Police Department, for most of the novels he has been a detective in New Iberia Parish. His longtime friend and former partner, Cleetus Purcell, appears in most of the series, and while the latter is capable of some truly shocking and violent behaviour, his excesses are, in most ways, no greater than those of Robicheaux, something that Dave never seems to realize. Their kindred natures make it clear why their friendship has endured for so long.

There have been many losses and much pain in Dave’s life over the years. I have frequently thought his behaviour to be masochistic; he often brings trouble to himself and his family when it can so easily be avoided. However, I now realize he is partly motivated by an unquenchable thirst for justice, the achievement of which, I suspect, offers the hope of redemption for this deeply flawed character. Never are we more aware of the duality of human nature than when we experience Robicheaux’s character and world.

As with my other selections, I strongly advise that you read the novels sequentially in order to truly understand the character. I will give away only a few specific details by revealing that some of Dave’s spiritual and psychological problems stem from the fact that his mother abandoned him when he was young; in fact, she is the subject of one of the later books; as well, frequent references to experiences in Vietnam suggest that tragic misadventure as another source of his malaise. And then there is his ongoing battle with alcoholism, surely not unrelated to the aforementioned factors.

If you are looking for a mildly diverting reading experience, James Lee Burke will not provide it. In many ways, his themes and his writing approach literary status. Despite being a popular writer, he is not afraid to deal with some harsh truths that many of us may wish never to confront.

If you are interested in pursuing this author, please visit the following website for a bibliography of his work: http://www.jamesleeburke.com/bibliography.html

You won’t be disappointed with the work of James Lee Burke, but you may be profoundly disturbed by it.