The house in which the tragedy occurred was called La Burliere. No one was eager to live in a house in which such a horrific crime had been committed, and the house stands vacant some twenty five years later. Now grown, Seraphin Monge decides to return to the place in which he had been orphaned in order to try to put the demons to rest.

Seraphin’s first project is to destroy the house brick by brick. As his work progresses he discovers the names of those responsible for killing his family. He vows to avenge his family, but in the course of trying to carry out his plan he meets two young women for whom he develops some affection. . Because these two women are tangentially involved in his family’s demise, what at first was a simple plan to learn the truth of the tragedy and deal with those responsible on his own terms becomes an order of magnitude more complicated.

From the basic premise, this novel has promise. The concept is clear and uncluttered. Seraphin’s journey to the place of his birth and his discussions with those people who were around to witness the tragedy discloses a quiet resolve in a young man who has suffered a tragedy. Either through the translation from the original French or the fact that the book was originally written twenty-five years ago, it is difficult to be drawn into the story. The prose is flat and uninteresting and there appears to be no urgency in Seraphin’s quest to deal with his heritage. Though the old time residents of the village are willing to talk to Seraphin and give him data about the crime, the pace is so slow that the reader is not drawn into the story.

The weather is a major player in the novel. The autumn wind for which the region is well known blows so hard it actually affects the personality of many individuals in the village. It plays havoc with their ability to think and concentrate. Abnormal behavior becomes the norm for both people and animals. In one instance several dogs appear to go mad. The dogs are not identified by breed, but are said to weigh something in excess of 50 kilos which translated to pounds is over 100. A man is said to have swung one of these dogs over his head, an unbelievable feat even if the man is energized by adrenalin.

While the gist of the story has entertainment value, either the transition from French to English or the fact that the original text was written some twenty-five years ago it is difficult to really identify with Seraphin even though by rights he should arouse empathy. Instead of being meticulous in his pursuit of his family history, he is merely slow and way too focused on destroying his family home with a sledge hammer.

--Andy Plonka