“blues por new orleans”, no original “The Tin Roof Blowdown”, publicado em 2007 pelo norte-americano James Lee Burke (n. 1936) é o 16º livro com o detective Dave Robicheaux. O furacão Katrina está a devastar a costa do Lousiana…Nova Orleães - depois do furacão KatrinaJames Lee Burke “mistura” admiravelmente detalhes e descrições verídicas das consequências e do rescaldo do furacão Katrina com uma narrativa ficcional criminal/policial dominada por duas subtramas – a história do padre Jude LeBlanc (com cancro da próstata e viciado em drogas) e a investigação a uma quadrilha de assaltantes “negros” (André Rochon e o sobrinho Kevin e os irmãos Melancon, Bertrand e Eddy). Dave Robicheaux, detective na paróquia de New Iberia, é enviado de emergência para a vizinha Nova Orleães, com o intuito de “tentar” manter a aparência da ordem e da lei, num território devastado, dominado por ladrões e saqueadores oportunistas, numa zona fragmentada económica e racialmente. “blues por new orleans” é muito mais do que um excelente romance policial; é um magnífico trabalho literário de profundo valor histórico sobre a destruição de uma das zonas mais bonitas e emblemáticas da costa do Louisiana, particularmente a cidade de Nova Orleães, onde sucessivos anos de incúria política e económica, na manutenção do sistema de diques e dos canais “bayous”, que funcionam como barreiras naturais à propagação das catástrofes naturais, furacões, cíclicas na zona do Golfo do México - colapsaram e sobre o falhanço institucional de organizações locais e federais, que se revelaram incapazes de prever a dimensão da catástrofe e de planearem e organizarem as operações de busca e salvamento. James Lee Burke constrói uma narrativa dominada por personagens ambíguas – Dave Robicheaux e o seu amigo Clete Purcel; e o mafioso e vingativo Sidney Kovick, florista de profissão, e o ladrão e violador Bertrand Melancon - homens expostos à rejeição e à crueldade, numa mistura explosiva de comportamentos imprevisíveis, mafiosos e “pequenos” ladrões, violadores e sociopatas, mas em que cada um à sua maneira procura a redenção, expiando os seus pecados e as suas amarguras, revelando um amor incondicional pela “sua” família. “blues por new orleans” é um “verdadeiro” e genuíno policial, com diálogos intensos e uma escrita cinematográfica – muito, muito bom… Nota: Traduzir "The Tin Roof Blowdown" para "blues por new orleans" não faz sentido. Revela-se enganador, porque induz em erro, misturando o New Orleans blues, um subgénero musical, com o cenário de New Orleans - a música não tem nenhuma relevância no enredo. No livro aparece sempre "Nova Orleães" não se justificando que no título apareça "New Orleans". "Aquela noite estava cheia de imagens surreais, que suspeito terem origem mais no inconsciente do que na mente consciente. As pessoas tinham o aspecto e comportavam-se como o fazem nos nossos sonhos - não completamente reais, os seus corpos iridescentes com suor, a roupa em farrapos, como criaturas a viver os seus destinos numa paisagem lunar." (Pág. 52)"O contraste entre a normalidade do meu trabalho na paróquia de New Iberia e os sete dias que passara em Nova Orleães era como a diferença entre o vigor e a confiança da juventude e a condição mental de um homem arbitrariamente afligido por uma doença fatal." (Pág. 91)
This Dave Robicheaux novel was better than most. Burke writes with a crisp style and you can almost feel the humidity of New Orleans as you read. This time, Burke attempts to sermonize about some of the terrible events that occured during Hurricane Katrina. He almost seems to attempt to justify the shooting of looters- some of which was likely a proper use of force while most of it was likely open season on young blacks. Burke actually manages to weave an actual mystery and even surprise me in this novel. Still, I continue to be bothered by the discussion of vengeance and the blustering threats exchanged between good guys and bad guys over and over again. At least this time, Robicheaux isn't staring the bad guy in the eyes everytime and telling him how he's going to smoke him if he take a particular action. Oh, he does some of it, just not through the whole book. The story deals with looters and shooters in New Orleans. In the midst some important stuff gets stolen, and a rape get avenged. Enter the nasty characters to capitalize on the suffering of others. There are some quotes that I want to share from the novel that provide food for thought... From the conclusion of the novel, the viewpoint of the lead character as he discusses the terrible things that occured in New Orleans."New Orleans was systematically destroyed and that destruction began in the early 1980's with the deliberate reduction by half of the federal funding to the city and the simultaneous introduction of crack cocaine into the welfare projects. The failure to repair the levees before Katrina and the abandonment of tens of thousands of people to their fate in the aftermath have causes that I'll let others sort out. But in my view the irrevocable fact remains that we saw an American city turned into Baghdad on the southern rim of the United States. If we have a precedent in our history for what happened in New Orleans, it's lost on me."The second on regards his contemplation of violence for vengeance:"Supposedly we are a Christian society, or at least one founded by Christians. According to our self-manufactured mythos, we revere Jesus and Mother Teresa and Saint Francis of Assisi. But I think the truth is otherwise. When we feel collectively threatened, or when we are collectively injured, we want the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday on the job and we want the bad guys smoked, dried, fried, and plowed under with bulldozers." One of Burke's better efforts, in my opinion.
What do You think about The Tin Roof Blowdown (2007)?
Let me start by saying that this book epitomizes the reason I try to avoid reading series books. The suspense is simply gone.Look, the detective/hero, his wife, his daughter, and his best friend in this book all walk around with invisible shields. They need to appear in the next installment, so nothing anyone does is ever going to kill them. SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!Hence, when the evil mercenary with the seventh-degree black belt goes off to shoot one of them, he suddenly can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn. When he gets in a fight with one, it gets hard to care.Even worse, Burke creates an incredibly interesting sociopath named Ronald who goes through the novel looking like a cross between Michael Jackson and Charles Manson. The reader seldom sees him in action but we are assured he is one dangerous dude.And when we do see Ronald in action... well, a girl beats him up, he gets a gun taken away from him, his car gets smashed. This guy is supposed to be the ultimate evil in the book and he's actually a bit more on the sympathetic side. He's scary, but nothing ever works for him.The book itself feels a bit like a sham, like a story Burke through together so he could launch into a political diatribe about how the government and especially the presidency betrayed his beloved New Orleans. Sadly, his memory seems a bit selective at times. He remembers well that Bush never came to visit the destruction but he does not remember that Bush offered to call in the national guard and was turned away by the governor or Louisiana. I always find it sad when a perfectly good novel or movie is ruined by authors who are more interested in writing a political rant than a story.My last complaint about The Tin Roof Blowdown is that it has more coincidences than a Charles Dickens library. Let's start with Betran, the street hood who: 1) Raped Otis's daughter; 2) Killed Dave's missing priest; 3) Hit Cletis with his car; and 4) Vandalized Sidney's house and stole his diamonds... and all in the course of a week! Man, talk about Recidivism! If that guy had died in the hurricane, New Orleans might have become one of the safest cities in the United States.Okay, now that you have survived my rant, let's get my rave. Despite these problems, I gave The Tin Roof Blowdown three stars because James Lee Burke has a wonderful way with words. Okay, yes, sometimes he has too much of a wonderful way with words and he is overly anxious to unload both barrels to show the reader just how smart he is; but he still has a marvelous facility with analogy, description, ambiance, and more. His characters are fully realized and three-dimensional. His model of New Orleans is practically alive.There were times when I thought I might give this book five stars just based on the author's more than obvious talent; and despite my final disappointment, I will make a point of reading another Burke novel to see if perhaps I like him better when he is not stomping on his political angst.
—Steven Kent
These books, which I listen to on tape, are like sedatives. Dave Robicheaux is a dark conflicted hero. He is the male version of "the hooker with a heart of gold" stereotype.James Lee Burk has always painted very vivid and poignant pictures of New Orleans and the area surrounding it. This is his first novel post hurricane, and you can just feel his heart seizing as he writes a fictional account of Katrina and the aftermath.I know this book type isn't for everyone. I don't know if the fact that I have read all his other Robicheaux Novels and have grown fond of the characters makes me feel differently, but what a beautiful poem this book is to the struggle between good and evil. When he talks about that I wondered for a moment if it was way over the top, and then I realized in some very basic way I felt the same.
—Karen
I could hardly watch the news coverage of Katrina. It was too cruel and awful and I couldn't do anything to help. I wanted to participate in the pet rescue, but someone would have ended up rescuing me before it was over. Reading Jim Burke's book brings it all back and I have a love-hate relationahip with the reading experience. I dread going into that world again, but I'm also fascinated by it and can hardly put it down. Robicheax provides the voice for all those enraged by a government that is all style and no substance and for all those undone by the forces of nature. I can hear Jim Burke's ironic voice throughout.
—Diane
