LARABI’S OX: Tales of Morocco by...

LARABI’S OX: Tales of Morocco by Tony Ardizzone (Milkweed Press: $13, paperback original). The atmosphere of Morocco, laden with the scents of spices, henna and dire poverty, seems to permeate the interlocking stories in this collection. Like lines on a graph, the lives of three Americans visiting the country for the first time approach each other but never touch. In his attempt to escape the cancer gnawing at his body, Henry Goodson learns that other people struggle with equally grim prognoses, a discovery that enables him to care for two orphans. Sarah Rosen travels alone, hoping to assert her independence from an unfaithful lover and rediscover her desirability. A failure as an academic and a husband, Peter Corvino wants a fresh start in life. Freed from the conventions of American society, each member of the trio gains a deeper understanding of the needs that lead them to embark on an exotic journey.