Annabelle Thorpe’s Top 10 Books Set In Morocco…

As spring has sprung upon us we’re getting well and truly into summer holiday planning mode. And where better to explore this summer than the vibrant souks and shady, ancient riads of Morocco? Our fabulous author Annabelle Thorpe takes us on a tour of her top ten Moroccan-set novels as we celebrate the publication of her new book What Lies Within. This book offers summer escapism as well as tense domestic noir, and we’re recommending it to everyone as a brilliant poolside read!

Annabelle’s top 10…

Morocco – one of the most exotic, enigmatic and vibrant countries on the planet – has long appealed to authors, drawn in by the mix of history, extraordinary landscapes and strongly-held spiritual beliefs.  Whether your taste is fiction, biography or history there’s a book to suit.
Lords of the Atlas by Gavin Maxwell
This fascinating book tells the true story of Madini and Thami El Glaoui, who overthrew the ruling Sultan of Morocco in 1896 and ruled the country for over fifty years.  A fantastic read for anyone interested in Morocco’s more recent history, the El Glaoui’s are incredible figures; part gangland mobsters, part ostentatious charmers, with the wealth and style of Indian maharajahs.  A unique insight into the country in the first half of the 20^th century.

Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud
An extraordinary autobiography, charting Freud’s childhood years in Morocco, when her Mother decides to leave the conventions of London life and experience something different by travelling to North Africa.  Esther, five, and her sister, seven,  are left free to roam the souks and bazaars and her adventures are told in her childhood voice, expressing both the extraordinary experiences she goes through, and her longing for a more settled, conventional life.
The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah
Like Esther Freud’s mother, Shah moves to Morocco to escape what has become a stultifying London existence, taking his wife and two children with him.  They buy a rambling house on the outskirts of Casablanca, and the book is a warm, engaging look at how they slowly restored the Caliph’s House to its former glory, helped – and hindered – by builders, gardeners, architects and the Jinns, or spirits, who also occupy the house.

Hope and other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami
An insight into contemporary Morocco and what drives those who make the dangerous crossing from Tangier to Spain in an attempt to start new lives.  Lalami tells four different stories; Halima and Faten, who are both fleeing from men who are attempting to control their lives, Aziz, who has to leave his devoted wife to find work and Murad, an educated man who has been reduced to hustling in the Tangier slums.
The Saffron Trail by Rosanna Ley
When Nell’s beloved mother dies, she struggles to cope with the grief, and with a marriage that seems to be slowly disintegrating.  She decides to take a trip to Moroco, where she meets Amy, an American photographer who is trying to unravel a family secret.  Together they embark on an emotional journey through the streets of Marrakech and beyond, to discover the truth of both their pasts.

The Spider’s House by Paul Bowles
Set in Fez during the struggle for independence from French colonial rule in the 1950s’, this book tells the tale of the only four English-speaking visitors left in a hotel in Fez when the uprising reaches boiling point.   Their characters are revealed through their interactions with Amar, a 15-year-old Muslim boy, and combines unsettling insights into each of their personal histories and a detailed account of the political scene at the time.
The Tangier Diaries by John Hopkins
A fascinating insight into the glamorously louche world of 1960’s Tangier, seen through the eyes of novelist John Hopkins, who lived in the city for twenty years.  The book combines details of glittering parties, with characters as diverse as Rudolf Nureyev and Joe Orton, with travels into the desert and descriptions of traditional Sufi rituals.  A delicious insight into an extraordinary literary life.

The Heat of Betrayal by Douglas Kennedy
When Robin travels to Morocco with her husband, she believes is is the place she will finally fall pregnant, cementing her marriage to Paul.  But when he disappears, and she finds herself the prime suspect in the police enquiry, slowly everything she believed to be true is revealed as a lie.  Robin’s determination to find out what happened to Paul takes her from Marrakech to Casablanca and the vast spaces of the Sahara desert.
A House in Fez by Susanna Clarke
Another book about buying and restoring a house in Morocco, but Clarke’s tale of her and husband’s spontaneous decision to buy a riad takes a very different turn to Tahir Shah’s experiences in Casablanca.  At turns frustrating, anxiety-inducing, exhilarating and ultimately hugely rewarding, the book combines the reality of trying to restore a house in such an alien culture with fascinating insights into traditional Moroccan life.

And finally…
What Lies Within  by Annabelle Thorpe
An exploration of expat culture in present-day Marrakech, and the gulf between those who adopt Morocco as their own and those who are born there.  The story focuses on Paul and Freya, a married couple whose wealthy university friend, Hamad, offers them job opportunities in the city when he realises their marriage is in trouble.  What should be a fresh start soon begins to drive them apart, as Paul and Freya begin to experience Marrakech in very different ways.

What Lies Within is out today!