Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud

 In the mid-1960s, two girls, ages 5 and 7, travel with their mother from London to Marrakech. Also along for the ride are John, Mum's boyfriend, and Maretta, John's wife. 

Once the group arrives in Marrakech, John and Maretta split off, and Mum hooks up with various men and pursues spirituality. The children, meanwhile, want nothing more than to be normal--or at least not to be so embarrassed by their mother.

If you can put aside the inevitable, "What sort of a mother would take such enormous risks with her kids?" you can enjoy this charming, well-written book that seems to begin in the middle of the story and finish somewhere towards the end of the story.