TANGERINE is the debut novel from Christine Manger, set in Tangier in 1956. The locale appealed to me. I was eager to learn about this City in Africa made infamous for its 24 hour partying along with sex, drugs and drinking and the dark alleys that led to the in-clubs where visitors and locals found their entertainments.
The plot begins in Vermont at posh Bennington College, where local Lucy Morgan is attending on a scholarship. She meets her roommate, Alice Shiply, who is wealthy and beautiful. Alice, brought up by her clueless Aunt Maude since her parents' death in a car accident, is her guardian and holds her inheritance.
Alice and Lucy have different personalities but bond immediately. They are inseparable. While Lucy is the adventurer, Alice simply goes along. She is spineless and shares all her secrets while Lucy protects her past. Lucy adores everything about Alice and wants to be her. One day Alice unexpectedly returns to their room to find Lucy dressed in her clothes, even wearing her mothers' bracelet. A quarrel occurs but Lucy is a champion at control and lies easily.
In their senior year, things change drastically. Alice meets Tom, a handsome young man studying special courses at Bennington. They become involved, are together all the time and Lucy feels left out. When the friendship begins to falter, Tom tells Alice he thinks Lucy is weird. One snowy night, Tom is killed when he and Alice are driving in the storm. His brakes fail when going down a hill. Alice is hospitalized. When she is finally released, Lucy has left school. No contact is made.
Aunt Maude introduces Alice to John hoping they will marry. John has dreams of traveling and living in Tangier. He convinces Alice to marry him and join him there. She hates everything about Tangier. John loves everything. He tries to get Alice to join him in his nightly partying and heavy drinking. She turns into a recluse never leaving her home. One day she answers the door and Lucy Morgan is on her doorstep. Alice is not pleased to see her but invites her in. When she meets John, they do not get along but she ends up living in their home for many months. When John is murdered, Alice is a prime suspect.
I did not like any of the characters. Alice, Lucy, Aunt Maude, John or the grifter, Joseph. A complex and twisted tale of obsession with a dark ending. TANGERINE is not my "hot cup of tea with mint" as served in Tangier. But if you're a fan of Patricia Highsmith, here's a twisted tale from the female perspective.
The last person Alice Shipley expected to see since
arriving in Tangier with her new husband was Lucy Mason.
After the accident at Bennington, the two friends—once
inseparable roommates—haven’t spoken in over a year. But
there Lucy was, trying to make things right and return
to their old rhythms. Perhaps Alice should be happy. She
has not adjusted to life in Morocco, too afraid to
venture out into the bustling medinas and oppressive
heat. Lucy—always fearless and independent—helps Alice
emerge from her flat and explore the country.
But soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice—she
feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. Then
Alice’s husband, John, goes missing, and Alice starts to
question everything around her: her relationship with
her enigmatic friend, her decision to ever come to
Tangier, and her very own state of mind.
Tangerine is a sharp dagger of a book—a debut so tightly
wound, so replete with exotic imagery and charm, so full
of precise details and extraordinary craftsmanship, it
will leave you absolutely breathless.
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