Kit tries to hide his absence from Tunner, who arrives in the morning to take her to the market. When she tries to steal his money, he returns home, disheveled and exhausted.

He comes across a native man, Smail, who takes him to a brothel where he has sex with a native prostitute. Port likes to travel because it takes him away from the certainties of his privileged life into something he believes to be more mysterious, more profound, and more exciting. As a breeze kicks up, Port “sniffed at the fragments of mystery in it, and again he felt an unaccustomed exaltation” (17). He goes out for a walk after some cross words with Kit regarding Tunner and notes the “barren mountains” and “vast flat sebkha ” (17). For his part, Port is consumed with delving into the mystery of existence and finding purpose and meaning he gets lost in his thoughts often and seems to meander throughout the book on vague whims or momentary urges. Tunner’s presence causes some tension between Port and Kit, as Kit is aware that Tunner’s intentions are not wholly innocent while Port seems not to notice. They are in an unnamed town in North Africa, and Port wishes to travel further inland. In Book 1, “Tea in the Sahara,” the three Americans discuss their next destination. They are all searching for a clearer sense of self and purpose. The younger Tunner travels with them because he admires their sophistication or wants a bit of adventure-though he also harbors an attraction to Kit.

His wife, Kit, wants only to do and be what her husband desires-though she also possesses her own stubborn perspectives and crippling fears. Port, in particular, is eager to travel more deeply into the interior of Africa, into the Sahara Desert. It is shortly after World War II, and nobody (civilians, that is) has been able to cross the Atlantic since 1939 at the onset of unrest in Europe. It is not until the second chapter that the reader discovers that the married couple is traveling throughout North Africa with another American companion, Tunner. The place and time are indefinite he only becomes aware of his wife’s footsteps in the next room after a moment and notes the room’s stale air. The book opens as Porter Moresby awakens from a deep slumber. Please note: The study guide includes references to rape, violence, and forced captivity of a female character.

All quotations in this guide come from the 1990 First Vintage International Edition.

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