2022布克獎決選名單,關於當年抹大拉洗衣房的黑暗歷史
這愛爾蘭土地上的故事,超越空間和時間,觸及人心
1985年的冬天,隨著代表著美好的聖誕節越來越近,生意最旺的這個時間點,Bill Furlong卻發現自己漸漸困在一種不滿足的情緒裡。作為一個成功的煤炭兼木柴商人,和妻子與五個可愛的女兒居住在愛爾蘭東南的小鎮裡,旁人看來幸福美滿。然而從小作為未成年未婚女性的孩子,自始至終不知道生父是誰的心結,始終縈繞於心。如今步入中年的他總是想著:「人生最終就是如此了嗎?難道不會再有任何變化?」然而當這天,Bill一如往常將訂單送往當地那間修女修道院時,他即將目擊的事件,將打亂他平靜如水的生活,並翻出Bill過往那不願面對的真相。(文/博客來外文館)
Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize
One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
"A hypnotic and electrifying Irish tale that transcends country, transcends time." --Lily King, New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers
Small Things Like These is award-winning author Claire Keegan’s landmark new novel, a tale of one man’s courage and a remarkable portrait of love and family
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
An international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.