Christian Kestner had not been expecting a letter from the war-torn country of Georgia. A well-respected German school teacher, Kestner had put his visit to Tbilisi seven years ago to the back of his mind. But the arrival of his former host David Ninoshvili proves unsettling and re-awakens uncomfortable memories. Kestner feels particular guilt over an indiscretion with his host's wife and this leads to a growing fear that the Georgian is seeking revenge against him. Paranoia grows in the teachers mind when Ninoshvili appears to exert a growing attraction over Kestner's wife Julia and he develops a strong bond with his teenage son Ralf. The relationship between Kestner and Ralf has become increasingly strained as he appears to show sympathy for right-wing extremist views. This is both painful and embarrassing for Kestner who considers himself to be liberal and enlightened, values he attempts to engender in his students.
Events become increasingly tangled as the personal fears of Kestner become intertwined with the political and social upheavals in Georgia during the late 1980's and early 1990's and the uneasy tension between Germany and the Soviet Union. Kestner finds himself involved in spying for the German state and feeling increasing alarm when it appears that Ninoshvili intends to seek asylum in Germany. David's Revenge is an intelligent and thoughtful novel whose central theme is the corrosive effects of fear on even seemingly balanced and logical people. Author Hans Werner Kettenbach skilfully juxtaposes myths and legends from Georgia's past, the land of Colchis where Jason once travelled to find the Golden Fleece, with the grim suffering and pain endured by its population during recent times.
This is a dark psychological drama with an underlying threat of violence where individual and social morality is constantly questioned. Racism, nationalism and xenophobia are amongst the uncomfortable subjects that Kettenbach explores in this sinister but fascinating rumination on the true nature of revenge.
Giles Morgan
