I am reading too many books in too few days.....but I am loving it! Sometimes I forget the last one that I read.
Just finished The Forgiven by Lawrence Osborne, who has been compared to a young McEwan (who I just finished).
This book is disturbing, and a fast read. Pick it up at any spot and read about some pretty nasty people. But they are interesting characters. And the plot moves quickly.
A couple, Jo and David, are in Morocco on their way to a "party" held by their friends, Dally and Richard (a gay couple who hold these lavish weekends each year). The juxtaposition of the cultures (upper class white vs lower class Muslims) is stark and real. On their way, David, who is often under the influence, hits a young Moroccan boy with his car and kills him. He and his wife are a bit disturbed, but just pick up the body, put it in the back of the car, and proceed to their friends' estate.
Once there they tell the story about how this young man simply appeared before them, hawking his fossils and they were blinded by the sandstorm, and hit him.
There are various themes afloat here: clash of worlds/cultures, cultural misunderstandings, broken marriage, greed, opulence, over indulgence, deceit, and more.
The ending is very surprising and I won't give it away, but the title of the book does say a alot about what this book is about....until the end.
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