This volume brings together three early novels by John Hawkes. The Lime Twig is set in the underworld of postwar London; Second Skin is a tale of suicide and new life on two mythical islands; and Travesty is a monologue on fear and eroticism that takes place during a drive at night.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across...