The Forgiven: A Novel

After one too many cold drinks and too many heated words, David and Jo Henninger head down a deserted Moroccan highway, bound for a hedonistic weekend at the estate owned by Richard and Dally, swanning sybarites known for their decadent, opulent parties. When two men leap into the roadway before them, David can't stop in time. One dies by the side of the road; the other disappears into the jet-black night. Rattled, the Henningers take the corpse with them, hoping to enlist the help of their well-connected friends to placate the local police only to find that the estate's hostile Moroccan staff have alerted the deceased's family. David is forced to return to the young man's desert home to atone for his actions, while Jo remains behind at the festivities, where she submits to the welcome attentions of another guest. In the desert, all life and emotions are stripped to their very core. In his elegant and incisive first novel, travel-journalist Osborne hauntingly captures this exposed essence in all its inscrutable mystery and dispassionate brutishness.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2010 Booklist

Osborne's rich new novel (after the nonfiction Bangkok Days) follows British couple David and Jo Henniger into the Moroccan desert for a debauched weekend at their friends' palatial ksar. Driving to the estate, David is distracted while arguing with Jo, and consequently hits and kills a young Moroccan. When they arrive at the party, corpse in tow, their hosts help David deal with the police while the servants keep vigil with the body. The next morning, the dead boy's father, Abdellah, arrives and demands that David return with him to help bury his son. No sooner has David departed and left Jo behind than charming American Tom Day sets his amorous sights on the unhappily married Jo. Meanwhile, Abdellah weighs whether to avenge his son's death by killing David. Although the Hennigers finally begin to scrutinize their choices (as unflinchingly as Osborne surveys his characters), their repentance may not be enough to sway their fates. With nods to Paul Bowles and Evelyn Waugh, Osborne portrays the vacuity of high society as gorgeously and incisively as he does the unease of cultures thrust together in the unforgiving desert. Agent: Adam Eaglin, the Wylie Agency. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In Osborne's brilliant, unsentimental rendering of contemporary East-West conflict and the imperfect human psyche, there's a lot to forgive and no easy wrap-up. Bilious, alcoholic, chip-on-his-shoulder Englishman David Henniger is driving through the Moroccan night with his wife, Jo, on their way to a fabulously decadent weekend party at the desert villa of sort-of friends Richard and Dally. When two young men step out on the road, evidently hoping to sell fossils, a flustered and contemptuous David strikes and kills one of them. The body is brought to the villa, David is less remorseful than annoyed, and Richard is shocked by David's insensitivity while revealing deep-seated prejudices of his own. The alcohol-swilling, drug-dazed guests swirl away from the guilty couple, and, lest readers assume this is a finger-wagging tale about arrogant Westerners abusing saintly natives, the dead man's past is revealed in occasional flashbacks to be remorseless and ugly. Then the bereaved father appears. VERDICT Novelist and travel writer Osborne has done an extraordinary job of capturing moral complexity, never letting his characters or his readers off easy. The result should be grim reading, but instead it's vivifying. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 3/22/12.]-Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Violence and debauchery in the Moroccan desert lead to cultural misunderstandings...and to more violence and debauchery. On their way to a weekend of free-wheeling partying sponsored by a gay couple, Richard and Dally, David and Jo Henniger meet up with something both unforeseen and untoward. Late at night, two young Moroccans, putatively selling fossils to tourists, crowd in on the Hennigers' car, and one of them, a young man named Driss, is run over. David checks to see whether Driss is in fact dead, and not knowing quite what to do, he and Jo put the body in the car and take him to the ksour of Richard and Dally's, deep in the Moroccan desert. The situation is complicated by several factors, including David's reputation as a drinker (and he had been consuming alcohol before the accident) and the suspicion of Hamid, a servant, that Westerners are utterly reckless and morally irresponsible. Although Richard feels there's nothing to worry about--for if necessary, the opinion of the local authorities can be bought--Driss' grieving father insists that David return the body and show at least some modicum of guilt and grief. While David is whisked away to Driss' home, Jo remains at Richard and Dally's. She's disgusted with her husband (and actually has been for years) and feels liberated in his absence. David's return in one piece is questionable. Osborne comes up with an ending that's at the same time ironic, surprising and completely fitting. A gripping read with moral ambiguity galore.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

After one too many cold drinks and too many heated words, David and Jo Henninger head down a deserted Moroccan highway, bound for a hedonistic weekend at the estate owned by Richard and Dally, swanning sybarites known for their decadent, opulent parties. When two men leap into the roadway before them, David can't stop in time. One dies by the side of the road; the other disappears into the jet-black night. Rattled, the Henningers take the corpse with them, hoping to enlist the help of their well-connected friends to placate the local police only to find that the estate's hostile Moroccan staff have alerted the deceased's family. David is forced to return to the young man's desert home to atone for his actions, while Jo remains behind at the festivities, where she submits to the welcome attentions of another guest. In the desert, all life and emotions are stripped to their very core. In his elegant and incisive first novel, travel-journalist Osborne hauntingly captures this exposed essence in all its inscrutable mystery and dispassionate brutishness. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Bored London doctor David Henniger and his wife, a children's book author, rush to spend a sybaritic weekend at the home of friends in the Moroccan desert. Alas, while driving there, David swerves and accidentally kills one of two young men peddling goods on the roadside. An award-winning travel writer and the author of well-received, often foreign-set novels, Osborne has lived in Morocco, so the atmosphere should feel real.

In Osborne's brilliant, unsentimental rendering of contemporary East-West conflict and the imperfect human psyche, there's a lot to forgive and no easy wrap-up. Bilious, alcoholic, chip-on-his-shoulder Englishman David Henniger is driving through the Moroccan night with his wife, Jo, on their way to a fabulously decadent weekend party at the desert villa of sort-of friends Richard and Dally. When two young men step out on the road, evidently hoping to sell fossils, a flustered and contemptuous David strikes and kills one of them. The body is brought to the villa, David is less remorseful than annoyed, and Richard is shocked by David's insensitivity while revealing deep-seated prejudices of his own. The alcohol-swilling, drug-dazed guests swirl away from the guilty couple, and, lest readers assume this is a finger-wagging tale about arrogant Westerners abusing saintly natives, the dead man's past is revealed in occasional flashbacks to be remorseless and ugly. Then the bereaved father appears. VERDICT Novelist and travel writer Osborne has done an extraordinary job of capturing moral complexity, never letting his characters or his readers off easy. The result should be grim reading, but instead it's vivifying. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 3/22/12.]—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In Osborne's brilliant, unsentimental rendering of East-West conflict and the imperfect human psyche, there's a lot to forgive and no easy wrap-up. Driving with his wife to a party of dissolute Europeans in the Moroccan desert, bilious Englishman David Henniger strikes and kills a young man, whose own dark past later unfolds for readers. Osborne does an extraordinary job of capturing moral complexity in a book that should be grim reading but is vivifying. (LJ 9/15/12)—Barbara Hoffert (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Osborne's rich new novel (after the nonfiction Bangkok Days) follows British couple David and Jo Henniger into the Moroccan desert for a debauched weekend at their friends' palatial ksar. Driving to the estate, David is distracted while arguing with Jo, and consequently hits and kills a young Moroccan. When they arrive at the party, corpse in tow, their hosts help David deal with the police while the servants keep vigil with the body. The next morning, the dead boy's father, Abdellah, arrives and demands that David return with him to help bury his son. No sooner has David departed and left Jo behind than charming American Tom Day sets his amorous sights on the unhappily married Jo. Meanwhile, Abdellah weighs whether to avenge his son's death by killing David. Although the Hennigers finally begin to scrutinize their choices (as unflinchingly as Osborne surveys his characters), their repentance may not be enough to sway their fates. With nods to Paul Bowles and Evelyn Waugh, Osborne portrays the vacuity of high society as gorgeously and incisively as he does the unease of cultures thrust together in the unforgiving desert. Agent: Adam Eaglin, the Wylie Agency. (Sept.)