Body of Contention

Body of Contention
de John Haylock

196 pp.
Arcadia Books, 1999
9781900850247

In his funniest novel to date, John Haylock shifts his lovale to '60s Tangier. The settin gis the Hotel Ritz, a run-down establishment peopled by a menagerie of eccentric ex-patriots. Micheal has fled England after a minor sex scandal. Rhoda, the resident grande dame, has taken a platonic interest in Abdelsalam, a young hotel waiter. All is fine until Janet, a wealthy young heiress, arrives for a visit...and falls madly in love with Abdelsalam. Haylock captures with unerring accuracy the petty jealousies endemic in expatriate communities, and with great humour.