THE FORGIVEN (10/06/2012)

I am enamoured with anything Moroccan. I spent time in Morocco several years ago and it was a trip I will always remember. The people, the heritage and the charm and history of the country captivated me. (And also the food and the shopping, of course!)


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When I came upon this new novel, THE FORGIVEN by Lawrence Osborne I was immediatly attracted to the locale and then to the very intriguing story.

 It's a small novel..only 288 pages but tells an interesting tale of a clash between two cultures, each of which feels superior to the other. A British couple go to Morocco for a lavish party at a friend's vacation home. There is a car accident and a young Muslim boy is killed. The couple take the deceased boy to the vacation home where they and their hosts must deal with the repercussions.

 The real drama begins when the boy's father arrives from a distant village. Tensions between Muslim and Western ideology escalate.

Although the writing style is uneven, descriptions a little
cliche, THE FORGIVEN moves at a swift pace and will hold your interest.


WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Lawrence Osborne is a British novelist, travel writer and memoirist. He was educated at Cambridge and Harvard and is the author of several books. He has been published widely as a journalist writing for the NY Times, The New Yorker, Salon, Conde Nast Traveler and many more. His story VOLCANO was included in Best American Short Stories 2012.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

Lawrence Osborne's recent feature in Playboy Magazine titled "Getting Drunk in Islamabad" won a 2011 Thomas Lowell Award for Travel Journalism.