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Book Description
Scobie, a police officer serving in a war-time West African state, is distrusted, being scrupulously honest and immune to bribery. But then he falls in love, and in doing so is forced to betray everything he believes in, with tragic consequences.
Book Details
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- English Books
- Library Binding
- ISBN-10: 061317271X
- ISBN-13: 9780613172714
- Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush
- Pub date: Mar 01, 2001
- Dimensions: 1290 mm x 839 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
- Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Others and eBook
- In other languages: other languages
Prices Change currency & sellers
| ISBN | Edition | List | Sale | Seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9780613172714 | Library Binding | $22.40 | -- | The Book Depository |
| Other editions → | ||||
| + 1 copy tradable: → | ||||
Johnny 
Since my professor introduced Graham Greene to me, he has become one of my favourite writers. The Heart of the Matter is a powerful book that looks deep into pity, guilt, duty, failure and faith.
Scobie is a police officer that doesn't have much success in life. His failure draws him to people that ... (continue)
Since my professor introduced Graham Greene to me, he has become one of my favourite writers. The Heart of the Matter is a powerful book that looks deep into pity, guilt, duty, failure and faith.
Scobie is a police officer that doesn't have much success in life. His failure draws him to people that he can pity on eg his wife who is a laughing stock in the white society as her husband is seen to be an inferior officer who deliberately refuses to retire or move elsewhere. He is also attracted to Helen, a average-looking survivor of a shipwreck who loses her husband.
Sympathy then turns into duty. He thinks he has the duty to cheer his wife Louise up. He has the duty to make things clear for Helen. But the duties are just weights created and borne by himself. Scobie feels guilty about the adultery out of his sympathy for Helen and about borrowing money from a shady Syrian trader so that Louise can leave the country. Although Scobie is aware of being a Catholic, he is not particularly religious. The debate of suicide is not necessarily between himself and God, but between himself and his duty-conscious mentality.
The writer successfully depicts the struggle of the characters that we can more or less identify with. It's another brilliant book that makes one reflect on life.
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