Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig (1978)

Kiss of the Spider Woman is a unique novel in my experience, because it has virtually no conventional narration. Most of the book is dialogue, with a few stream-of-consciousness passages and a factual police report at the end. In that sense, the book reads more like a play than a novel, and it has indeed been turned into a play, a movie, and even a musical. I'm sure that all formats worked beautifully, because this is a very touching and instructive story on many levels.

The two protagonists are drastically different men sharing a cell in an Argentine prisoner -- Molina, a gay window dresser jailed for a moral offense, and Valentin, a revolutionary fighter jailed as an enemy of the government. To pass the time, the movie lover Molina tells the story of escapist movies to his cellmate, several of which are included. Despite their disparities, the two men come to understand and learn from each other, eventually finding themselves changed by their friendship. It is difficult to be more specific without spoiling the story.

I am totally impressed with Puig for being able to use dialogue to convey subtle emotional nuances. I recommend this book; it is very moving.