This atmospheric thriller is set in Tangiers in 1956, Alice Shipley has relocated with her new husband John and lives within the confines of their apartment. Enter Lucy Mason, an old college room-mate who ‘just happens’ to be in Tangier. Alternate first-person chapters give us the background story of their college days in Vermont, the differences in the girls’ backgrounds and their previous friendship.
There’s been a lot of comparison to Patricia Highsmith and her ‘Talented Mr Ripley’ with the exotic backdrop and questionable sexuality, all of which raises expectations on the page.
George Clooney’s production company has already purchased the film option and signed Scarlett Johanson in the starring role. You have plenty of time to read the book and make up your own mind about the story before you compare it to the movie.
Published by Abacus ISBN 140870997X
Bird of Passage 