{"product_id":"the-forgiven-a-novel","title":"The Forgiven: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this stylish  haunting novel  journalist and novelist Lawrence Osborne explores the reverberations of a random accident on the lives of Moroccan Muslims and Western visitors who converge on a luxurious desert villa for a decadent weekend-long party.  David and Jo Henniger  a doctor and childrens book author  in search of an escape from their less than happy lives in London  accept the invitation of their old friends Richard and Dally to attend their annual bacchanal at their home deep in the Moroccan desert  a ksar they have acquired and renovated into a luxurious retreat. On the way  the Hennigers stop for lunch  and the bad-tempered David cant resist consuming most of a bottle of wine. Back on the road  darkness has descended  David is groggy  and the directions to the ksar are vague. Suddenly  two young men spring from the roadside  apparently attempting to interest passing drivers in the fossils they have for sale. Panicked  David swerves toward the two  leaving one dead on the road and the other running into the hills.  At the ksar  the festivities have begun: Richard and Dallys international friends sit down to a lavish dinner prepared and served by a large staff of Moroccans. As the night progresses and the debauchery escalates  the Moroccans increasingly view the revelers as the godless \"infidels\" they are. When David and Jo show up late with the dead body of the young man in their car  word spreads among the locals that David has committed an unforgivable act.  Thus the stage is set for a weekend during which David and Jo must come to terms with Davids misdeed  Jos longings  and their own deteriorating relationship  and the flamboyant Richard and Dally must attempt to keep their revelers entertained despite growing tension from their staff and the Moroccan Berber father who comes to claim his sons body.  With spare  evocative prose  searing eroticism  and a gift for the unexpected  Osborne memorably portrays the privileged guests wrestling with their secrets amidst the remoteness and beauty of the desert landscape. He also gradually reveals the jolting back-story of the young man who was killed and leaves Davids fate in the balance as the novel builds to a shattering conclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44946048745525,"sku":"ByrdShop_0307889033","price":30.31,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780307889034_b533ba1e-e0d3-4314-b48c-d0e745a37c75.jpg?v=1770154543","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-forgiven-a-novel","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}