Confidence of the Heart [Paperback]

David Schweidel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

Impulsive anthropologist Patrick McGuffin convinces his best friend Armando to be best man at his wedding, but after he marries into a prominent Guatemalan family, Patrick and Armando both become involved in Guatemalan politics. A first novel. Original. IP.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Schweidel's first novel, winner of the Milkweed National Fiction Prize, ventures deep into the dark heart of friendship and identity amid the post-civil war chaos of Guatemala. Spoon, a radical anthropologist whose only fear is of "becoming a fat-assed yuppie slut like my brother," convinces his former roommate, Armando, to "step out of the frame" and be best man at his wedding to the daughter of a corrupt Guatemalan coffee baron. Armando, drifting since his father's death, agrees that under Spoon's guidance "it might be possible to change myself a little, to become, if not carefree, at least somewhat less careful." What starts as a Latin American road trip descends into a violent exploration of political allegiance and blood ties when Armando is abducted by anti-American guerrillas and Spoon must put his leftist ideals to the test after his future family-in-law assassinates a fellow radical. Schweidel creates two compelling personalities, and if he occasionally indulges an overly romanticized view of "the dark, distant petroglyphic Indians," the searching dialogue between old friends and the intriguing plot adequately compensate. With an ambiguous ending appropriate to its shadowy tone, Confidence of the Heart provides a powerful illustration of the uncharted boundaries of friendship.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Winner of the 1994 Milkweed National Fiction Prize, Schweidel's debut is part road story, part political novel. Hotshot anthropologist Patrick "Spoon" McGuffin talks his fragile friend Armando into flying to Guatemala to be his best man. Spoon is about to marry into a prominent Guatemalan family, but his first order of business seems to be antagonizing his future father-in-law, who runs a vast coffee plantation. Meanwhile, Armando has taken a short side trip into the interior to deliver a package for a friend. He is subsequently captured by guerrillas and tortured; he is almost certain that he is going to die, but, miraculously, the guerrillas let him go. As all of the principals meet in the church for the occasion of Spoon's wedding, the atmosphere is heavy with tension and regret. Told in alternating chapters by the terse Spoon and the more philosophical Armando, this novel works surprisingly well, hooking readers with its grim but gripping story line while relentlessly making the point that America's quality of life depends upon the blood and sweat of the Third World. Joanne Wilkinson

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions; 1st edition (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571310045
• ISBN-13: 978-1571310040
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,045,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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