An Echo of Scandal
This novel effortlessly spans a fifty-year time gap with a story that keeps the reader turning until the last page. Accused of murder, Alejandra flees her home and manages to find a life for herself in Tangier in 1928. Fifty years later, Sam, an American writer, is determined to discover a good story that will prolong his stay in the Moroccan city. Each protagonist is linked by a tangible reminder of the past that reveals clues at crucial moments in the novel.
The author’s descriptions of Tangier are so rich and absorbing that you can feel like you are there, which is a testament to her research of the time periods and her writing skills. I loved the way the author focused in on each character, although they were not the protagonist, and crafted their lives so that they would impact on the main plot. It was also very interesting to see that the author used food and drink to enhance the scene and how the characters were affected. The fact that the author also employs cultural differences to augment her plot shows her mastery of historical fiction. It was a pleasure to read this story and be introduced to the life and lives of people who were trying to earn a living in 1928 and 1978 in Northern Africa.
