What lies beneath paradise? And what if, beneath it, there were hell?

Sous le paradis (Beneath Paradise) is Gabriele Di Caro’s first major erotic graphic novel, a collection of eleven short stories inspired by François Truffaut’s 1977 film L’homme qui aimait les femmes (The Man Who Loved Women). Rather than developing a single continuous narrative, Di Caro uses the anthology form to explore a succession of erotic encounters, fantasies and relationships, with women occupying centre stage.

The stories vary in tone and situation, allowing Di Caro to explore different aspects of desire and human behaviour. Sexual attraction can bring pleasure, liberation or fantasy, but it can also lead to disappointment, misunderstanding and darker consequences. The title neatly encapsulates this ambiguity: the ‘paradise’ of sexuality always has its opposite lurking underneath, and the stories often end on a more bitter or ironic note than their erotic premises might suggest.

The book is also an opportunity for Di Caro to demonstrate the qualities that have become characteristic of his work – elegant figure drawing, richly coloured artwork, and a strong sense of atmosphere.

The chapter titles are:
     Nature (Nature)  
     Corps et âme (Body and Soul)  
     Un baiser jamais donné (A Kiss Never Given)  
     Esclave de vos yeux (Slave to Your Eyes)  
     De la coupe aux lèvres (From the Cup to the Lips)  
     Mienne (Mine)  
     Fantasme de dessinateur (A Cartoonist’s Fantasy)  
     Mirage (Mirage)  
     Devant le miroir (Before the Mirror)  
     Quotidien (Everyday Life)  
     Sous le paradis (Beneath Paradise)

Sous le paradis is published by Tabou. There is also a German translation, Hinter dem Paradies, published by Splitter Verlag, and a Dutch translation, Onder het paradijs, by Dark Dragon Books, but no English translation.