Lawrence Osborne is a critically acclaimed novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is the author of eight novels, including Ballad of a Small Player, Beautiful Animals and The Forgiven . His non-fiction ranges from memoir through travelogue to essays, including Bangkok Days , The Naked Tourist and The Wet and the Dry. His novels have been chosen as Books of the Year by the Guardian , the Observer , the Daily Telegraph , the New Statesman , the Daily Mail , The Economist , the New Yorker and the New York Times . The Forgiven was made into a film in 2022 starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes and Ballad of a Small Player starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton was released on Netflix in 2025.