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June 2005
By Angela Stubbs
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Daniel Alarcón may just be one of the best
storytellers writing fiction today. His debut collection, War by
Candelight, is a very poetic compilation of short fiction that jumps
right off the page at you. You can feel each of these stories ignite
into complex storylines and emotions. He has a fearless quality
to his work that sucks you into the lives of his characters and
the realistic situations they find themselves in.
Passion, civil strife, beauty and natural disaster
surround each of the literary landscapes here in these nine vibrant
stories. You should be forewarned -- stepping into Alarcón's
world is anything but a Sunday stroll through the streets of Peru.
Alarcón, a Peruvian native, writes about life in Lima through
the eyes of narrators who give exciting and often depressing insight
into the everyday lives of its people.
While politics and protests surround Lima, Oscar,
the narrator of "City of Clowns" recalls what his relationship
was like with his father after he learns of his death. His father
had remarried and had children with her. Oscar now had siblings
who were complete strangers to him, people he didn't know, or care
to know. The kind who were wealthy and living the life he never
experienced with his father. A journalist, Oscar decides to dress
up as a clown for the day and report on his experience. While incognito,
he replays memories of robbing the houses of schoolmates (the ones
his father helped renovate) for money, for necessities, for the
finer things in life Oscar and his mother had been deprived of.
There is a bitter-sweet love he has for his father, even in death.
This same bitterness exists for his mother, who has since befriended
"the other wife." "City of Clowns" is full of
fierce emotion and vivid images of the political outbursts within
the city and mental outbursts within Oscar.
Lima is rife with turmoil and strife while Peru's
Andes mountains and blue skies provide a beautiful backdrop for
the chaotic times within its capital city. In "Lima, Peru.
July 28, 1979," violence is sport. The narrator and his companeros
go on a canine killing spree that that has its roots in the social
inequality that exists within the streets of town.The title story
of the collection, "War by Candlelight" examines the life
of Fernando, a fine art student-turned-father who abandons his ideals
about brotherhood and camaraderie for those of the hardened government
who believe poverty and inequality can only be remedied by guerilla
warfare. Although Fernando agrees to take part in the war effort,
he finds the sacrifices he's making to be worthwhile. Alarcón
creates detailed images of a country at war with itself.
Even though politics and war affect the majority of
the narration in these stories, Alarcón does show his character's
sensitive and humorous sides. "A Science for Being Alone"
portrays a young Peruvian man who has lost his job, yet remains
hopeful of wooing the mother of their 5-year-old daughter into marriage
for the 5th time. He finds himself in competition with an unknown
American man whom Sonia, his daughter's mother, met while in America
learning English. As his daughter Maya's birthday nears, he finds
himself struggling to find a way to propose, in order to keep them
both in Peru with him. America offers peace and opportunity whereas
Lima seems to be sucking the life out of his family with everyday
that passes. This story, despite its sadness and reality, had moments
of humor and hope. The opening pages of this story provide us with
the humor the other stories lack. Alarcón knows how to tell
good stories and that's exactly what "Third Avenue Suicide"
is. On the outside, we meet a normal Manhattan couple who have just
moved in together. On the inside, we get a closer look at a young
Indian girl who is hiding her relationship with her Peruvian boyfriend
from her mother.
Alarcón's stories cover a great deal of geography,
as well as emotional territory. His keen eye and amazing descriptions
give the stories the kind of detail often lacking in debut fiction.
The narratives in War by Candlelight aren't always uplifting or
even bright, but consistently written with the voice and color they
deserve. He knows exactly how to maneuver his stories and the characters
in them by giving them a solid finish. This collection is a fine
one that will put Alarcón on the map as a legitimate and
creative soul, who's story-telling could hypnotize any reader. This
is an extraordinary collection by a younger author whose potential
exceeds the 189 pages you'll read here.
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