Travers' Inferno

In the 1970’s churches began to burn in Burlington, Vermont. If it were arson, no one or no reason could be found to blame. This book suggests arson, but makes no claim to historical realism. It claims, instead, to capture the dizzying 70’s zeitgeist of aggressive utopian movements, distrust in authority, escapist alternative life styles, and a bewildered society of onlookers. In the tradition of John Gardner’s Sunlight Dialogues, the characters of Travers’ Inferno are colorful and damaged, sometimes comical, sometimes tragic, looking for meaning through desperate acts. Travers Jones, protagonist, is grounded in the transcendent – philosophy, epilepsy, arson as purification – and mystified by the opposite sex, haunted by an absent father and directed by an uncle with a grudge. He is seduced by a professor’s wife and chased by an endearing if ineffective sergeant of police. There are secessionist Quebecois involved in these church burns who are murdering as well as pilfering and burning. There are changing alliances, violent deaths, lovemaking, and a belligerent cat.