La Vida Doble

A tale of violence, lofty ideals, and moral ambiguity, Fontaines best-selling novel is now available in a superb English translation [La Vida Doble is] a harrowing examination of political violence during the Pinochet period. . . . A complex, open-minded investigation into the mentality of those involved on both sides.David Gallagher, New York Review of Books Set in the darkest years of the Pinochet dictatorship, La Vida Doble is the story of Lorena, a leftist militant who arrives at a merciless turning point when every choice she confronts is impossible. Captured by agents of the Chilean repression, withstanding brutal torture to save her comrades, she must now either forsake the allegiances of motherhood or betray the political ideals to which she is deeply committed. Arturo Fontaines Lorena is a study in contradictionsmother and combatant, intellectual and lover, idealist and traitorand he places her within a historical context that confounds her dilemmas. Though she has few viable options, she is no mere victim, and Fontaine disallows any comfortable high moral ground. His novel is among the most subtle explorations of human violence ever written. Ranking with Roberto Bolao and Mario Vargas Llosa on Latin Americas roster of most accomplished authors, Fontaine is a fearless explorer of the most sordid and controversial aspects of Chiles history and culture. He addresses a set of moral questions specific to Pinochets murderous reign but invites us, four decades later, to consider global conflicts today and question how far weve come.