I was curious about Le Clezio because he won the Nobel Prize. The prose was lovely and lyrical, but I do love a good plot. Two stories intertwine - a young man is part of an ill-fated army headed across the desert to fight the Christians in the early part of the 20th century. In the later part of the century, a young woman lives in squalor on the coast of North Africa. She seems to be a conduit for a lot of marvelous description of nature and then later of city life - but to not have much of a life of her own. Finishing it was a bit of a struggle. I hope the next in line at the library enjoys it more!