Stories / Paul Bowles

An old woman lives in a cave untroubled by the scorpions that crawl over its walls. A splash of water triggers an explosion of violence. A young girl 'remembers' things back to front while the concluding story is presented as six letters written to a bitter, dying man. In the stories that make up this dazzling collection, Bowles creates a world in which the extreme situations the characters find themselves in move relentlessly towards their logical yet disturbing conclusion.