Noble Sanctuary

Hugh Oliver is Editor-in-chief of OISE Press, Ontario Institute for
Studies in Education.

In this first novel, a young realtor named Geoff (through whom the story
is told) meets, in Vancouver, a Palestianian girl called Nadya, studying
biochemistry. His efforts to bridge the cultural barrier between them
are not at first successful, and when the Israelis invade Lebanon, she
skips off to Beirut. In an impetuous moment, he follows to find her. Up
to this point, the narrative has switched between Vancouver and Beirut
(a dislocated style that seems to be the current fashion); thereafter,
it is centred in war-torn Beirut, where Geoff works as a hospital
orderly and eventually tracks down Nadya. His love for her is
reciprocated, but ultimately the war divides them—a seemingly
inevitable but not entirely satisfactory ending.

Morison, through his characters, generates powerful sympathies for the
plight of the Palestinians, and he handles descriptive material well.
Unfortunately, he falls short with his major characters: they do not
really come to life, they do so only at a superficial level.
Nevertheless, as a first novel, this represents a promising beginning.