A review by wendoxford
The Forgiven, by Lawrence Osborne
3.0
A cast of unlikeable louche Europeans "weekend" and party against the desert background of conservative Morocco. An "accident" en route causes the death of a local causing the two cultures to address their extreme differences.
With a nod to Gatsby and a similarity to the febrile atmosphere of the film Babel, Osborne captures both sense of place place and moral ambiguity equally well. Whilst the book is riveting, I found the constant clash of rich/poor - believers/unbelievers (which was necessary in the sight of such excess) lent the story an element of parable, which grated at some points. The beautiful descriptive writing was similarly laboured at points.
That said the constant overlaying of cross-cultural nuance in so many ways take the reader on a fascinating journey
With a nod to Gatsby and a similarity to the febrile atmosphere of the film Babel, Osborne captures both sense of place place and moral ambiguity equally well. Whilst the book is riveting, I found the constant clash of rich/poor - believers/unbelievers (which was necessary in the sight of such excess) lent the story an element of parable, which grated at some points. The beautiful descriptive writing was similarly laboured at points.
That said the constant overlaying of cross-cultural nuance in so many ways take the reader on a fascinating journey