As a sensitive individual with an adventurous and even rebellious spirit, I found kindred souls in both of the main characters of the two stories in this one novel. I was deeply impressed because even though I can't imagine going to India, I can very well imagine being in either of these people's situations: caught up in very human circumstances and uncontrollably taking steps to get yourself further caught up. You don't have to be interested in India (much less in heat or dust) to be absorbed in this beautifully, even excquisitely, rendered story.