num_pages: 272
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.
language: English
title: The Heart of the Matter
titlecomplete: The Heart of the Matter
characters: inspector Wilson, Pemberton, Major Scobie, Yusef
genres: 20th Century, Africa, Novels, Literature, Religion, Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, British Literature
ratings_count: 28611
places: West Africa, Africa
awards: awardedAt: -694281600000
name: James Tait Black Memorial Prize
category: Fiction
publisher: Vintage Books