Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne
Hunters in the Dark is the first of Osborne's works I have
had the pleasure of reading. Osborne's storytelling and use of language plunges
the reader into a world as eerie as it is hauntingly beautiful. An English
school teacher from rural Sussex escapes his seemly dead end life, chasing
thrill and empty temptation deep into east Asia. A foreign man of cultural
innocence, finds himself submerged in the irrational, spiritually attuned world
of Cambodia. Western ideas collide with this world of omens and dreams as Robert's
European upbringing attempts to understand this trauma ridden, ancient land of
mystery and dangerous allure.
Osborne's writing is beautiful. It took me a while to get
into the story, but that is no fault of the author. I regret that I read this
work during a time where I could not give it the full attention it deserves.
The story however, still sticks with me like a heavy shadow that beckons
another look. It is one I will read again. The feeling it evokes is reminiscent
of one of favorite books, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Both have
burrowed into a section of my mind, clothed in shadows and mystery that through
the years I will be able to unravel a little bit more of the meaning tucked
deep between the pages.
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