Gloria (an assumed name) is a young psychologist with a thriving, trendy practice. Solomon Heller is a ruthless tycoon with acute digestive problems who becomes a regular client--and then demands that Gloria drop all her other patients and solve his case, which seems to stem from a mysterious woman from his hometown, another Gloria. From its opening chapters, it looks like Morocco is going to be an enthralling exploration of Gloria's new psychology, as her own motivations and obsessions pierce through the sparse narrative, as sure as Heller's, primarily involving dashing musical saw virtuous Igo Sym, and her mysterious ex-lover "Prince" and ex-mentor-turned-lover Mr Mouse. But as Heller's and Gloria's professional relationship collapses, other pressures, already obliquely hinted at, come to the fore--the city is invaded and Gloria is thrust into a new set of adventures.
The city and the epoch are not named but from the author's notes, it's clear that this is Warsaw in the late 1930s, a brilliant, thriving cultural place, but for its "newcomers", a city on the brink of devastation. By dispensing with heavy-headed historical context and relying instead on a skeleton of evocative, beautifully chosen prose, Flusfeder conjures up a far more psychologically convincing picture of what it means to be truly paranoid, living under the most terrible of threats.
Despite Gloria's best efforts, she can't quite bring herself to believe that this is no more than "a bad dream, a lurid tragic melodrama". From the author of Man Kills Woman and Like Plastic, this is a multi-layered, highly intelligent novel that repays repeat readings. --Alan Stewart
Genre: Thriller
The city and the epoch are not named but from the author's notes, it's clear that this is Warsaw in the late 1930s, a brilliant, thriving cultural place, but for its "newcomers", a city on the brink of devastation. By dispensing with heavy-headed historical context and relying instead on a skeleton of evocative, beautifully chosen prose, Flusfeder conjures up a far more psychologically convincing picture of what it means to be truly paranoid, living under the most terrible of threats.
Despite Gloria's best efforts, she can't quite bring herself to believe that this is no more than "a bad dream, a lurid tragic melodrama". From the author of Man Kills Woman and Like Plastic, this is a multi-layered, highly intelligent novel that repays repeat readings. --Alan Stewart
Genre: Thriller
Used availability for David Flusfeder's Morocco