CaracoleIn French caracole means "prancing"; in English, "caper." Both words perfectly describe this high-spirited erotic adventure. In Caracole, White invents an entire world where country gentry languish in decaying mansions and foppish intellectuals exchange lovers and gossip in an occupied city that resembles both Paris under the Nazis and 1980s New York. To that city comes Gabriel, an awkward boy from the provinces whose social naïveté and sexual ardor make him endlessly attractive to a variety of patrons and paramours. "A seduction through language, a masque without masks, Caracole brings back to startling life a dormant strain in serious American writing: the idea of the romantic."--Cynthia Ozick |
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actress admired Angelica arms asked beauty become beside body boy’s breath capital Caracole child Claude Claude’s clothes cold conquerors couldn’t Daniel dark door dress Edmund White Edwige Edwige’s everything eyes face Farewell Symphony father feared feel felt Flora Forgetting Elena friends Gabriel girl gown grey hadn’t hair hand he’d never head hex signs imagined intellectual kissed knew laughed light lips listened lived looked lover Madder Pink man’s Mateo thought Mathilda Maurizio morning mother mother’s mouth neck never night once opera palace pale past patriot penis play seemed sexual she’d shoulder side silk Skeets skin sleep smell smile someone sort sound stared stood sure talk tears they’d thing told touched turned uncle uncle’s vetiver voice walk Walter wanted wasn’t whispered who’d window woman women word you’re young