Abstract
“As the plane landed with the smallest of bumps, he was already travelling rapidly in his mind across vast snowscapes, probing the contours obsessionally and inconclusively, seeking the hidden abyss” (27). Joe Beech’s plane is landing in Zurich from London. He is going on a skiing vacation in Austria with his wife, Caroline, his son, David, David’s girlfriend, Lisette, and family friends, Tom and Mary Lovell and their son, Jerome. On his way to a midwinter break, as in previous years, Joe would be expected to be full of joyous anticipation. Instead his mind dwells “obsessionally and inconclusively” on “the hidden abyss.” The ominous closing sentence of the first chapter of To the City and especially its final words arouse readers’ curiosity. What “hidden abyss” does Joe fear and why?
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© 2005 Lilian R. Furst
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Furst, L.R. (2005). The Hidden Abyss. In: Random Destinations. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403979414_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403979414_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-53145-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4039-7941-4
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