April 2005
By Emily Beck Cogbur
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Daniel Alarcon's short stories are all about war: little wars between children and lovers, and a big war for the control of Peru.

In "War by Candlelight," the title piece of this collection, Fernando fights for the one of the Maoist groups trying to take over Peru in the 1980s. Their rallying cry is "All of this will be ours once more!" Fernando is moved by the plight of the poor in Peru: his uncle who goes blind from a lifetime of making leather products, farmers who work land they don't own, mothers who clean other people's houses. Communism seems like the answer to the disparity between rich and impoverished he finds so unfair.

Daniel Alarcon tells the story of Fernando's life and death through a series of events: his father watching him with pride during a party celebrating Fernando's acceptance into the university, the death of his mother, the birth of his daughter, and, finally, his death in a guerilla war. The story illustrates the pointlessness of fighting, the waste of human life involved in this desperate attempt to overthrow the government.

Some wars are of a more personal nature. "Third Avenue Suicide" is about a young Indian woman living in America who refuses to introduce her mother to her Peruvian boyfriend because she is afraid she won't approve. Every time the mother comes, David has to vacate the apartment they share. The mother's visits become more frequent after Reena develops a disease that leaves her bedridden.

David dreams of confronting the mother, forcing her to acknowledge his existence and relationship with Reena. Instead, he passes the mother on the street without saying anything and wonders what has happened to his life.

The stories in War by Candlelight are wrenching and powerful. Alarcon's characters do and experience horrible things, yet never lose their humanity.