Book Review: Christine Mangan, Tangerine

Tangier, 1956. Alice, psychologically delicate as a result of losing her parents in a fire, is in an unhappy marriage with the adulterous John. The appearance of Lucy, an old friend from college who is clearly obsessed with her old roommate, in love with her since they first met, sets events in motion. Alice doesn’t want Lucy there but lacks the strength of character to show her the door.  As the novel progresses – the two women alternate the narrative role – the full extent of Lucy’s obsession is revealed as the past is churned over and uncovered through flashbacks, and she begins to turn the screws on Alice’s present.

Morocco strives to gain its independence in the background, which distracts John - employed in some undisclosed governmental post - as the city crushes his wife and emboldens Lucy, whose moves become more audacious as she decides on what she wants. The whole thing comes off as some enjoyably high-concept hokum, combining Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley and the antics of Amy Dunne in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Scarlett Johansson’s already signed on for the movie, with George Clooney involved as producer after the rights were snapped up for a reported $1.1 million. If they stick closely to this slightly clichéd but not unpleasant source material, it should be worth a look.