Up Above the World
Up Above the World by Paul Bowles is a revised edition published by HarperCollins Publishers in April 1991, featuring 124 pages in English. This work presents a seemingly innocuous meeting on a terrace overlooking a Central American capital, where an American couple and their charming host engage in polite conversation. As the narrative unfolds, the initial pleasantness gives way to deeper, more unsettling undercurrents, revealing complexities in human relationships.
Readers will find that Bowles masterfully explores themes of hospitality and the darker aspects of human nature. The story delves into the dynamics between the characters, particularly through the host’s prophetic remark to the American woman, hinting at the hidden tensions beneath their interactions. This edition invites readers to navigate the intricate maze of emotions and motivations, ultimately transforming a casual encounter into a profound examination of human connections.
Official synopsis Publisher
On the terrace of an elaborate hilltop apartment overlooking a Central American capital, four people sit making polite conversation. The American couple—an elderly physician and his young wife—are tourists. Their host, whom they have just met, is a young man of striking good looks and charm. The girl, his mistress, is very young and very beautiful. Sitting there, watching the sunset, the Slades seem to be enjoying the sort of fortunate chance encounter that travelers cherish. But amid the civilities and small talk, the host’s casual remark to the American woman proves prophetic: “It’s not exactly what you think.”
Masterfully—with the poetic control that has always characterized his work—Paul Bowles leads the reader beneath the surface of hospitality and luxury into a tortuous maze of human relationships and shifting moods, until what seems at first a merely casual encounter is seen to be one rooted in viciousness and horror.
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