The Mutual Friend

《追愛總動員》共同創作者Carter Bays的處女作
本書絕對給你邊看邊笑的沈浸式體驗，從此忘記手機存在！
 
　　2015的這個夏天，Alice Quick真的必須找份認真的工作了！她已經28歲，卻還在當保姆鐘點工，而且剛被踢出那間紐約公寓…說實在的，Alice只要下定決心，報名考醫師執照（MCAT），就一定能夠完成她作為醫生執業的夢想，還能將這一切劣勢扭轉。可是你知道的，當今就是一個資訊爆炸的世代，所有事情都在逼迫你「分心」！譬如她那個明明有著一間成功的科技公司，已經是富翁的弟弟Bill，天外飛來一筆辭職，腦中不知道哪塊對宗教狂熱的區域突然覺醒，一心向佛；弟媳Marianne一直在尋找所謂的「完美房地產」，卻怎麼也填不滿內心的空虛；還有那位新室友，看似空靈實際空洞，老是在奢求虛無縹緲「冒險」的Roxy。也可能在所有分心事物當中，佔據Alice心靈最大面積的，其實是那個線上交友app。
 
　　本書精闢地描述出當代人們的生活，實際上被分成了兩個世界：物理上的現實世界，以及手機螢幕後的世界。揭穿在這兩個宇宙交互作用下，真實的我們到底是怎麼樣的。

　　(文／博客來外文館)

　　“This is a rare thing: an original, intelligent novel that’s not just a perfect summer beach read, but one that deserves serious awards consideration as well. Put down your phone and pick it up… A major accomplishment.”
　　—Kirkus (starred)
 
　　From the co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, a hilarious and thought-provoking debut novel set in New York City, following a sprawling cast of characters as they navigate life, love, loss, ambition, and spirituality—without ever looking up from their phones.
 
　　It’s the summer of 2015, and Alice Quick needs to get to work. She’s twenty-eight years old, grieving her mother, barely scraping by as a nanny, and freshly kicked out of her apartment. If she can just get her act together and sign up for the MCAT, she can start chasing her dream of becoming a doctor . . . but in the Age of Distraction, the distractions are so distracting. There’s her tech millionaire brother’s religious awakening. His picture-perfect wife’s emotional breakdown. Her chaotic new roommate’s thirst for adventure. And, of course, there’s the biggest distraction of all: Love.
 
　　From within the story of one summer in one woman’s life, an epic tale is unearthed, spanning continents and featuring a tapestry of characters tied to one another by threads both seen and unseen. Filled with all the warmth, humor, and heart that gained How I Met Your Mother its cult following, The Mutual Friend captures in sparkling detail the chaos of contemporary life, a life lived simultaneously in two different worlds—the physical one and the one behind our screens—and reveals how connected we all truly are.