“The Friend”, Sigrid Nunez 2018年美國國家書卷獎得獎作品 【一場自殺悲劇,一隻狗,兩個受傷的靈魂】 「我」的摯友兼人生導師突然過世了,他自殺了。 女主角以第一人稱自述,突然遭逢打擊,讓她頓時跌入人生的谷底,但這時候卻還不能好好悲傷,因為對方遺留下來一隻狗—一隻身形龐大的大丹狗,失去了主人,大丹狗瞬間從重要寵物與家人,淪為沒有人要接管的燙手山芋,女主角不知為何,看出了大丹狗身上隱藏的悲傷,居然和她如此相似,彷彿命中注定的相遇,她決定收留這隻狗。 即便不是愛狗人士也沒養過寵物,她的公寓甚至禁止養寵物,但她逐漸喜歡也習慣大丹狗的陪伴,她會和牠說話,對牠聊她看見的新聞或有趣的事,她對人生導師的回憶,這讓她更加自溺於過去,自溺於悲傷,而大丹狗只是靜靜聆聽。但這時候公寓的人發現她偷養寵物,警告她若再不把狗送走,可能連她自己的家都保不住... 作者Sigrid Nunez巧妙地利用情節安排,透過主角不斷與狗的對話和回憶,帶出暗藏在「我」和「人生導師」之間的秘密,刻劃出女性受到創傷後強迫遺忘的真實寫照,雖然悲慘,卻也是為了繼續生活的唯一方法。Sigrid Nunez沒有高聲怒吼斥責任何人,也不刻意將焦點放在議題上,反而藉著主角的獨白,平實且溫和地滑過心頭,卻讓讀者不禁流下憐憫的淚水。 When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master, and by the threat of eviction: dogs are prohibited in her apartment building. While others worry that grief has made her a victim of magical thinking, the woman refuses to be separated from the dog except for brief periods of time. Isolated from the rest of the world, increasingly obsessed with the dog's care, determined to read its mind and fathom its heart, she comes dangerously close to unraveling. But while troubles abound, rich and surprising rewards lie in store for both of them. Elegiac and searching, The Friend is both a meditation on loss and a celebration of human-canine devotion. ISBN : 9780735219458