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LAURENCE MACKIN reviews Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson and Lonely Planet's East Africa guide

LAURENCE MACKINreviews Lulu in Marrakechby Diane Johnson and Lonely Planet's East Africaguide

Lulu in Marrakech

Diane Johnson

Penguin, £7.99

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Diane Johnson is a writer with no little reputation (thanks to her previous novels Le Divorce, Le Mariageand L'Affaire, and a slew of award nominations, including two Pulitzers), so it's disappointing that this is such a gimcrack book. Lulu Sawyer is sent to Marrakech by the CIA on a vague mission to trace the funding of Islamic fundamentalists, and while there she hopes to rekindle a previous relationship she had with Ian Drumm (they did humanitarian work together, don't you know). So far, so preposterous, and it quickly slides further downhill. Sawyer appears to have had no training – this is not a literary device; it appears Johnson simply couldn't be bothered doing a bit of research to provide the merest depth, and it shows in paper-thin characterisation, a ludicrous plot and a book that is devoid of the flavour and colour of Morocco. Setting a novel in Marrakech is a fantastic idea, but reading this, it's difficult to imagine Johnson has ever been there.

East Africa

Lonely Planet, £17.99

Morocco is easily accessible for even a first-time traveller, but for something a little more wild, eastern Africa is a better bet.

This book covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and a handful of pages on Democratic Republic of Congo.

There’s a green and wildlife emphasis here, with sections on safaris and how to get close to mountain gorillas. The small, magazine-style nuggets make this an enticing read, and, though too brief in places, there is a wealth of information. We shouldn’t say this, but it’s nearly worth the money for the cover alone.