Just after WWII, an apparently well-funded American couple and an acquaintance zip off to North Africa to travel around for an indefinite period. Via their encounters with the comparatively primitive (but most importantly foreign) culture, conditions, and accomodations, we are exposed to their thoughts, emotions, and psyches. We are shown that realities are just views, that our hold on these realities may be quite tenuous, and that we never really know. I suspect this is a book which will mean very different things to different people.

It's engrossing, but not a page-turner. Read it when you have emotional and mental cycles available.