Will I love A Burnt-Out Case?

A Burnt Out Case is a stark, introspective novel that probes the emptiness of a man seeking meaning in the depths of the Congo. Greene masterfully blends moral ambiguity with a profound study of faith and disillusionment.

Graham Greene is considered by many to be the acknowledged master of expat tales. This is actually one of his lesser-known novels. It tells the story of Querry, an internationally famous architect suffering from terminal ennui. Life no longer holds meaning for him, or even pleasure. He takes a boat up river in Africa to its last stop, a leper village in the Congo. There, he attempts to lose himself by helping the indigenous afflicted, and in so doing begins to cure his own ills as well. But fate and the white community can’t let well enough alone.