I am a big fan of GG but some of his books I find just too dry, almost literally in some senses, where the arid African climate seems to just pour out of the pages onto you, and also permeates the contents ; The Heart of the Matter, A Burnt-Out Case, are examples that come to mind. Don't let your first impressions turn you off from this genius. Some of his other books are quite different. Had I started with one of these ^ I might not be able to recommend those ->

I have loved ; The Human Factor, The Captain and the Enemy, The Honorary Consul, Our man in Havana, The Tenth Man ...