The first of these two short novels, both set in India, is a romantic little fillip with some interesting characters. Johnny Kilgore, a student studying the sarod (lute), stays at Mabel Screwwalla's boarding house. Mabel is an Anglo-Indian, a hearty, happy meddler intrigued by the fact that Johnny's sturdy American girl friend Barbara and his idealized Indian love Sita are both sharing board but whose room? Johnny finds himself switching allegiance back and forth until he finally seduces Sita but can't disengage her from the Indian heritage that binds her to another man. The characters are sympathetic enough to attract attention which is more than can be said for the second, much longer effort about a small group of rich, famous artists who have followed the In-Crowd to Kashmir in hopes of finding enlightenment. They discuss their assorted involvements and problems on a houseboat while waiting for the great guru to come down from the mountain top with twentieth century commandments (unbeknownst to them he's already on board, mistakenly hired as the cook). It would make a guru-vy satire if Mr. Rubin wasn't so serious. But by the unfortunate lotus, he is.