First published 1986
Saul Henchman packs his cameras for a cruise around the British Isles. The celebrated society photographer finds himself drawn into an intricate dance with Barberina Rockwood, a beautiful young performer whose presence transforms the voyage. Fellow passengers watch their connection unfold, sensing undercurrents they cannot fully grasp. The relationship between Saul and Barberina grows more complex as the ship moves from port to port. Other travelers become unwitting observers of something that feels both magnetic and threatening. The confined world of the cruise ship amplifies every gesture and glance between the photographer and the dancer. What begins as attraction deepens into something more mysterious and potentially dangerous. Powell explores the tensions that emerge when strangers are thrown together in close quarters, their lives briefly intersecting before the journey ends.
Genres: fiction, drama, romance, literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: British Isles
Period: 20th-century
255 pages · Hardcover · W W Norton & Co Inc