Love and war have much in common, such as that both can get unfathomably complicated, albeit with different levels of consequence. The Argentine-born Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman (The Suicide Museum) examines this and other themes in the satisfyingly disorienting Konfidenz, a reprint of a 1995 novel. Told mostly through dialogue, this short work begins when Barbara, a woman from an as-yet unidentified country, arrives at a hotel in Paris. Readers don't yet know who she is or what year it is. As soon as she enters her room, she receives a call from a man named Leon. He claims to be a friend of Martin, Barbara's lover. She had expected Martin to meet her, as the note summoning her claimed he was in a life-or-death situation. All Leon will tell her about Martin's absence is that "if you don't cooperate, something dreadful can happen to him."
Over several hours' worth of conversations, Leon's manner grows more insidious as he discloses further details, including the story of the men who may be after Martin and the unsettling admission that, when Martin showed him Barbara's photo, Leon recognized her as the woman who has appeared in his dreams since he was 12. As this crafty novel progresses, secrets are revealed, relationships grow clearer, and the setting becomes obvious. It's no spoiler to point out that Dorfman may be drawing parallels with his own experience as an exile. Fervor is a hallmark of love and war, as Dorfman demonstrates in this welcome reissue. --Michael Magras, freelance book reviewer