Mavis Gallant was better known for her short stories, but she wrote two longer pieces of which this was the first, originally published in 1959. In only 150 pages, this intense novel comprises 4 linked episodes concerning a group of the 'Smart Set', mostly Americans, who spent their days travelling Europe, having affairs, and being largely bored. It's a mid-Century masterpiece of shifting perspectives and timelines, a brilliant exploration of disaffection and exile.