The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

Seeing many references to this book on any list of twentieth century literature I picked up this book by Paul Bowles from 1949. The book tells the story of Kit and Port, a young American couple from New York who travel to North Africa, not on vacation, but on a journey.

A reference is made to Port not needing to work due to the death of his father. One assumes that perhaps his father has left him enough money so that he need not work, in entering Algeria customs wanting to know his profession question that blank spot on his passport.

He and his wife have traveled to Africa, hoping perhaps to repair their relationship. We never are told directly what their problems are but it is clear they have issues, on the trip they do not share a bedroom, and have no physical relationship. Still Port would like their relationship to improve and his wife repeatedly shows that she will put him and his interests first, she wants what he wants.

Still nothing is easy and both Port and Kit are naive in the risks they take traveling in a place where Americans are an oddity if not worse. Traveling, oddly so, with them is their friend Tunner. Tunner seems to be along on the trip for no easily apparent reason. As the book begins the couple and their friend are traveling through North Africa.

Port, as much he might like to salvage his relationship with his wife, has no problem visiting with women on his nightly walks. Unbeknownst to him his friend Tunner has made repeated attempts to get his wife into bed. Kit, not wanting to cause trouble between the two keeps it to herself but one night as they travel by train and she has too much to drink the inevitable happens.

Both of these people want to improve their relationship but at the same time they keep sabotaging themselves. Traveling further into the desert Bowles writes the characters very well as they interact with the native peoples. These passages are very well written. Port, not knowing what has happened between his wife and Tunner, does feel that Tunner's presence is hampering his and Kit's efforts to reconcile. Convincing Tunner to move on to another city ahead of schedule they become separated.

Port's passport gets lost and then on the next step of their trip he gets ill with typhus. Kit is very dedicated to him, nursing him in a small village until she becomes stir crazy. While she is getting some air the unthinkable happens. Now alone she simply walks away into the desert.

From this point on the story is the story of Kit as she hitches a ride on a caravan across the desert. This leads to a portion of the book, that frankly must have been quite controversial at the time of its publishing. In the end nothing good comes out of this trip for our heroes. Port is dead and Kit borders on the edge of a mental breakdown.

The book is much more than the idea it begins with. The imagery of the desert and the native population is wonderfully told. The protagonists in the book are sympathetic even as they behave in unsympathetic ways. This is another of those time and place books, imagery abounds, and is well worth the read.

You should read this book.