The Sheltering Sky

Book 2 opens from the perspective of Lieutenant d’Armagnac, who commands the military base that is Bou Noura in French-held Algeria. There has been some trouble as of late: A young local woman has been accused of murdering her newborn child, and the lieutenant rounds her up and places her in the jail (briefly considering “how he could best arrange to spend the night with her”) (154). However, she is stung by a scorpion and dies before being transported to the capital for trial. A rumor is started that the lieutenant and his men are responsible for her death—covering their tracks after sexually assaulting her. This makes the lieutenant quite unpopular with the locals, which hinders his home remodeling project and leads to his mild poisoning by his native chef.

Thus, the lieutenant is indisposed when he learns that an American tourist has lost his passport and has accused the local hotel proprietor of stealing it. This is the real trouble in which d’Armagnac finds himself: Abdelkader, the proprietor, is a prominent influence in town, and the American must be persuaded to take back his accusation; this would have the added benefit of restoring the lieutenant’s reputation among the local populace.