Arturo Perez-Reverte, The Painter of Battles

The Painter of Battles

Arturo Perez-Reverte

Random House, Mar 10 2009, $14.00

ISBN: 9780812977301

Still haunted from his coverage of war, photographer Andrew Faulques hides from the world. As a catharsis of the atrocities he witnessed and photographed, he paints a mural in a tower that provides the human face to the horrors of combat.

A stranger arrives informing Faulques that he plans to kill him. He blames the photographer for commemorating him as a Croatian resistance fighter during the Serbian conflict when he was captured in a sniper's position. Instead of glory, he feels his life ended with that picture because he knew he could never live up to the fake image. As calm as his visitor is discussing death, Faulques explains his side to his assassin including his seeing his beloved die while they worked a war ravaged nation.

THE PAINTER OF BATTLES is a refreshing unique war thriller starring two antagonists who "see" the battles differently. The sniper insists he may kill his enemy with a bullet, but Falques kills much more as his photos affirm a picture is worth a thousand bullets. Their debate spins from just the merits of war to what are atrocities and cruelty and in a war environs can there be real love. Fans will be fascinated by this tale though the action is somewhat muted as the two lead characters provide a deep dissertation on what war is good for and to whom starting with a photographer who became famous by thriving on hostilities.

Harriet Klausner