Middle England

　　這裡正在改變，整個國家正處於震盪之中，裂痕在家庭、在世代之間逐漸浮現……



　　新婚夫妻蘇菲(Sophie)與伊恩(Ian)，對於英國的未來意見相左，甚至對於他們這場婚姻的未來也是；政治評論家道格(Doug)，不斷在專欄上大肆稱讚保守黨所採取的緊縮政策，另一邊，他正值青少年時期的女兒，卻認為爸爸根本缺乏判斷政治對錯的能力，而對他失望透頂；班傑明(Benjamin)，中年毅然決然切換人生跑道，決定完成他心中的「巨作」，儘管這件事在眾人眼裡註定失敗，而他年邁父親最近的一個心願，則是要在脫歐公投中，投下「脫歐」一票。



　　這些平凡人的故事集合起來，就是一整個英國如今的縮影，充滿懷舊之情，卻處處可見諷刺，幽默、卻又像是一團巨大灰霧，令人迷惘。作者Jonathan Coe用一貫的敏銳觀察，剖析人性弱點，同時藉由讀者對主角們的同理心，引領出對政治議題的思考。(文/博客來編譯)

From the acclaimed author of The Rotters' Club and The Closed Circle comes the novel for our strange contemporary times.

Beginning nine years ago on the outskirts of Birmingham, where car factories have been replaced by chain retail, and London, where both frenzied riots and Olympic fever plague the streets, Middle England tracks a brilliantly vivid cast of characters through the transformation of their society.
There are newlyweds Ian and Sophie, who disagree about England's future and, possibly, their relationship; Doug, the political commentator who writes impassioned columns about austerity from his Chelsea townhouse while his radical, teenage daughter undertakes a relentless quest for universal justice; Benjamin Trotter, who embarks on an apparently doomed new career in middle age, and his father Colin, whose last wish is to vote LEAVE in the Brexit referendum. Through all these lives we see this very tentatively united kingdom itself: a place of nostalgia and delusion, bewilderment and barely suppressed rage.
As acutely alert to the absurdity of the political classes as it is compassionate about those left behind by elites of all sorts, this is a novel only Jonathan Coe could have written.

About the Author

　　JONATHAN COE's awards include the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, the Prix Médicis Étranger, and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Writing. He lives in London with his wife and their two daughters.