Your House Will Pay

　　一個非裔家庭和韓裔家庭在洛杉磯產生了命運的交會，當另一場令人震驚的罪行發生，他們都被迫面對自身與外在的動盪。

 

　　這是2019年夏末，非裔男子尚恩‧馬修斯（Shawn Matthews）在洛杉磯擔任搬家工人。日子看起來平靜簡單，但無論多少年過去，他只要想起1991年初春的回憶，就備感沉重。當時一名韓國女子誤會他十幾歲的妹妹阿瓦（Ava）在便利商店偷竊，因而對阿瓦開槍並奪走了她的性命，事後該女被判有罪，但沒有被判入獄，隨後被轉移到洛杉磯的另一區。而這起槍擊事件和由此產生的審判，加劇了種族的緊張局勢……。

 

　　故事來到另一個主角葛瑞絲（Grace）身上，她與她的韓國移民父母一起同住，在家庭藥房工作了很長時間，但她一直覺得惴惴不安，無法理解為什麼她的姐姐米里亞姆（Miriam）兩年來都沒有和母親說過話。直到有一天，葛瑞絲看到母親在飛車槍擊中受傷，而姐姐此時也告訴葛瑞絲，關於母親過去令人震驚的真相……。

 

　　近日，警察槍殺一名非裔少年，洛杉磯變得像1990年代初期那樣緊張，四處瀰漫著動亂氣息，種族仇恨接近沸點。在風雲變幻的喧囂中，我們跟著作者的腳步，發現最近的槍擊事件改變了尚恩脆弱的安全感，而他多年前的暴力行動破滅後，經歷了什麼事和什麼樣的心理轉折，讓他現在只想獨自一人享受在棕櫚谷的安靜生活？

 

　　葛瑞絲和尚恩帶著各自的人生問題，在緊張的局勢中生活著，但當另一場令人震驚的罪行襲擊洛杉磯時，他們都被迫在可能迎來更多暴力攻擊的混亂城市中，面對自己的過去。(文/博客來編譯)

 

 

　　“[A] suspense-filled page-turner.” ―Viet Thanh Nguyen, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Sympathizer

　　"A touching portrait of two families bound together by a split-second decision.” ―Attica Locke, Edgar-Award winning author of Bluebird, Bluebird

　　A powerful and taut novel about racial tensions in Los Angeles, following two families―one Korean-American, one African-American―grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime

　　In the wake of the police shooting of a black teenager, Los Angeles is as tense as it’s been since the unrest of the early 1990s. But Grace Park and Shawn Matthews have their own problems. Grace is sheltered and largely oblivious, living in the Valley with her Korean-immigrant parents, working long hours at the family pharmacy. She’s distraught that her sister hasn’t spoken to their mother in two years, for reasons beyond Grace’s understanding. Shawn has already had enough of politics and protest after an act of violence shattered his family years ago. He just wants to be left alone to enjoy his quiet life in Palmdale.
 

　　But when another shocking crime hits LA, both the Park and Matthews families are forced to face down their history while navigating the tumult of a city on the brink of more violence.

 

Review

　　“Taut . . . A dramatic page-turner . . . A deep dive into Los Angeles’ racial underbelly and tensions. It’s a timely book that showcases two cultures and two families forced to confront injustice, enduring anger, and profound loss.” (Los Angeles Times)

 

　　“Impassioned. . . . [Cha] dives so deep into her characters because she believes that communicating their nuances across racial lines is essential. . . . A page-turner.” (USA Today)

 

　　“A propulsive, well-told, and most important of all, well-researched journey of two families. . . . Cha’s writing is memorable and often poetic.”  (San Francisco Chronicle)

 

　　“Riveting. . . . Engrossing. . . . Cha unflinchingly delves into the complex emotions that drive families, violence, and the need to survive.  Your House Will Pay sets a new high for the talented Cha.” (Associated Press)

 

　　“Compelling and risk-taking. . . . That Cha is drawn to contend with voices that don’t strictly represent her cultural heritage, while taking head-on one of the most devastating events in Los Angeles history, is admirable as well as ambitious. Cha is a remarkably generous writer.” (Los Angeles Review of Books)

 

　　"Bracing." (Entertainment Weekly)