I read this book years ago but only remembered the basic premise. Since it's considered a classic I thought I might as well read it again. It's definitely readable--it seemed shorter than it was because it was a page-turner. But still, I could never really get emotionally involved with what was going on. The story is about a man named Nicholas who's a mildly dickish. When his relationship with his (imo) somewhat tediously clingy girlfriend gets too much he takes a job teaching on a remote Greek island where he comes to the attention of a mysterious man who orchestrates an elaborate psychological game to play on him.

The Magus and the group of people present themselves as enlightened and all-powerful, outside the bounds of petty 1950s societal norms, dedicated to truth etc. But what they are is really much worse: White People With Too Much Money. You know what that means--cryptic remarks, condescending smiles, sex shows, classical references and lots of paper mache masks. (I found myself imagining what the family of the one non-white troupe member's family would have to say about him participating in this nonsense.) Not that I could have much sympathy for Nicholas either, but ultimately he buys into this as much as anyone else does.