Roanoke the Fact That Author

Roanoke

The fact that author Lee Miller is an anthropologist searching for historical evidence -- and finding a great deal of it -- that could solve a much-discussed mystery gives this novel an interesting twist prior to reading it. On the other hand, the book doesn't consistently feature well-crafted narrative for the reader to enjoy; in fact Miller's writing style lacks a sense of sophistication that readers would expect from a novel like this, and Miller should have hired a copy editor and a professional proofreader to make sure she was using complete sentences (which she didn't in many instances). The point here is that since the narrative is frequently awkward and even confusing at times, the arguments she uses must be compelling to help the reader get through the rough and tumble of the prose. It most cases -- notwithstanding the flaws in the prose -- indeed her arguments involving historical evidence are well made, and the evidence she uses, the quotes from documents, gives credibility to her assertions and implications.

Synopsis of the Book

Miller digs into all available research regarding the disappearance of 116 British settlers on Roanoke Island, and according to Miller, a crime was committed and that is the reason the disappearance of these settlers has remained a mystery. Miller's account references her belief that the settlers were left on the island with very little sustainable equipment and few supplies, and that was a deliberate act, so they would ultimately perish, and given that there were hostile Native Americans in the vicinity, the demise of the settlers could be blamed on the Indians. In her research for this book, which took about three years, she found that most of the previous attempts to unravel the mystery used British references. Hence her book focuses on historical references that lead her to believe Simon Fernandez (ship's captain that dropped off the settlers) was among the pivotal reasons why John White and others were prevented from obtaining water, food, and the other supplies during their stops in the Caribbean before they landed on Roanoke Island. Basically Miller is documenting in her book that American history didn't really begin at Plymouth Rock, or in Virginia at Jamestown; it began at Roanoke, and it was a tragic beginning to be sure. Moreover, what Miller comes up with in a well documented though not brilliantly written book is that the history of Roanoke has been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misplaced for four hundred years. Certainly it would be impossible for Miller to prove all of her assertions and allegations, but according to reliable literary sources that have critiqued her work, the investigative effort and the many sources she located and employed go into much more depth than previous scholars and researchers.

Analysis of the Book

One main theme of this book of course is that there has been a mystery surrounding the disappearance of 116 settlers for four hundred years and that it is unacceptable to hang on to incomplete, inaccurate historical information. Another theme is that settlers were left to die on Roanoke Island in order that a cunning secretary of state to Queen Elizabeth (Francis Walsingham) could outlast and contribute to the demise of the charming Sir. Walter Raleigh, a favorite of the Queen. But another theme of this book -- from a big picture perspective -- is that historians, researchers, scholars and authors don't always get it right when they chronicle historic events.

Was Miller out to disprove the previous efforts to reveal the mystery? Yes, in a way, but her editorial effort was designed more it appears to set the record straight than to "disprove" what had previously been believed and written. The fact that she wanted to present a fresh case for the solution of this mystery doesn't mean she was biased in her writing. She explains in the Preface that for four hundred years the belief was that the Powhatan Indians of Virginia had murdered the colonists. Then she adds, "It is a myth created to explain glaring inconsistencies" and designed to "smooth out the rough edges of unanswered questions" (Preface). In fact most of the Preface consists of questions that are editorially legitimate ("Why did John White take his colonists to Roanoke, and not to Chesapeake Bay as planned?" And "…If the Powhatan didn't kill them, then where were the Lost Colonists?"), and they cry out for answers, which the author attempts to provide throughout the book.

What can be said about the substance -- if not the style -- of Miller's narrative is that she is certainly thorough. Her training as an anthropologist comes through very plainly when she takes several pages to show she has done the research on all the characters in this book. As to John White, and why his name isn't mentioned other than in an "…anonymous 1585 ship's log," Miller takes great pains to explain why there would be no record of him even being on board. When she builds a case against a character, for example Fernandez, the pilot of the ship that brought the settlers to Roanoke, she spares not the tiniest tidbit of knowledge in attempting to fully present his purposes, his attitudes, his actions and the possible ramifications of all he does in the context of this voyage. Why did Fernandez not tell the colonists about the poison fruit, since he knew full well it was harmful? Did he tell them it was okay, and that explains why they didn't just take a tiny sample of one piece of fruit, but in fact they all munched down and got sick?

It's Miller's detailed accounts of what certain characters did or did not do that leads the reader to the potential answer for the myriad riddles in the complicated plot lines.

My Reaction to the Book

I have always enjoyed reading the history of the discovery, the settlement, the challenges of the early settlers of North America -- and how as the country grew and became independent, the people carved out a culture for themselves. And so this book is interesting and even fascinating from the point-of-view of an author / anthropologist who is attempting to find truth among the rubble of old historical documents, letters, journals and books. Already I have mentioned that the narrative isn't always smooth, but in the context of a professional anthropologist digging through history to find the truth, this book is very interesting and valuable.