
The Forgiven
Lawrence Osborne
'Utterly compelling...I couldn't put the book down' Observer
'Surprising and dark and excellent' New York Times
'A gripping and sophisticated thriller' Independent
Soon to be a major film adaptation starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes
David and Jo Henniger are on their way to a party at their old friends' home, deep in the Moroccan desert. But as a groggy David navigates the dark desert roads, two young men spring from the roadside, the car swerves and collides with one of the boys...
Meanwhile, festivities at the house are in full flow. Under the watchful eyes of their Moroccan staff, the extravagant hosts attend to the whims of their glittering, insatiable guests as the party rages on into a new day. The stage is set for a weekend in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences.
'As menacing and engrossing as the best McEwan' Sunday Times
Product Details
About Lawrence Osborne
Reviews for The Forgiven
Sunday Times
Surprising and dark and excellent
New York Times
A sinister story about guilt, atonement and restitution, fashioned from lean, prowling prose
Herald
A terrifically realised encounter between the clashing values of traditional Islam and the hedonistic, secular West... Beautifully written, painfully resolved.
Lionel Shriver
The Times
More than a stylish thriller… The central plot has parallels with The Bonfire of the Vanities, while the socialites could be straight out of The Great Gatsby
Stylist
A gripping read
Kirkus
A superbly compelling novel... As menacing and engrossing as the best McEwan
Sunday Times
Osborne brings together all his authorial talents in this gripping and sophisticated thriller
Independent
Stylish, somehow both lavish and muscular at the same time
Independent on Sunday
Utterly compelling; at the risk of trotting out a cliché, I couldn't put the book down
Observer
A brilliantly observed tale of class and hedonism
The Times,
Summer Reads of 2023