The Dutch House

　　《完美家庭》、《奇蹟之邦》作者安．派契特 (Ann Patchett)全新長篇小說

　　告訴我，我們是否有可能以真實發生之事的角度，看待過去，不被記憶美化、不為傷痛影響？

　　二戰後期，由於好運與精明的投資，西里爾．康羅伊(Cyril Conroy)建立了龐大的房地產帝國，也使他的家人脫離貧窮、進入富有的世界。西里爾於是買下了「荷蘭之家」(The Dutch House)，一處位在費城郊區的豪華房產，裡頭留下了原本的全套家具、舞廳、員工，以及原屋主的肖像畫，作為給妻子艾娜(Elna)的驚喜。他沒有想到的是，這棟房子，卻將毀滅所有他深愛的人。

　　艾娜恨透那棟房子。她對荷蘭之家的反感，促使她拋棄10歲的女兒梅芙(Maeve)，和3歲的兒子丹尼(Danny)，逃離家裡。五年後，梅芙和丹尼見到了他們的繼母，與艾娜相反，她非常喜愛荷蘭之家。當西里爾過世，她設法得到了房子，並剝奪姊弟兩人對所有遺產的繼承權，只除了丹尼的就學基金。

　　丹尼，與他聰慧犀利、充滿自信的姊姊梅芙，因而被逐出他們自小成長之處，他們被迫回到父母曾經努力帶領他們逃離的貧窮處境，唯一僅剩能夠依靠的，只有彼此。這個不可動搖的連結，拯救了他們，同時也讓他們的未來受到種種阻撓。

　　透過丹尼的敘述，關於姊弟倆所經歷的一切逐漸清晰，他也不諱言在這過程中犯下的錯誤──即便外在世界給予成功的契機，丹尼和梅芙卻只有在彼此身邊，才能感覺放鬆。

　　這部寫入人心的傑作，深入挖掘關於所繼承之物、愛、寬恕，小說橫跨五十年，訴說了聰慧、卻無法擺脫過去的丹尼與梅芙的故事。他們一生不斷以幽默和憤怒去回顧失去的一切，但當最終他們必須面對將他們遺棄的人們，兩人的感情，也因而受到考驗。(文/博客來編譯)

　　Ann Patchett, the New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth and State of Wonder, returns with her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go.

　　“'Do you think it’s possible to ever see the past as it actually was?’ I asked my sister. We were sitting in her car, parked in front of the Dutch House in the broad daylight of early summer.”

　　At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

　　The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

　　Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

　　The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are. Filled with suspense, you may read it quickly to find out what happens, but what happens to Danny and Maeve will stay with you for a very long time.

About the Author

ANN PATCHETT

　　ANN PATCHETT is the author of seven novels and three works of nonfiction. She is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, England's Orange Prize, and the Book Sense Book of the Year, and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Karl, and their dog, Sparky. annpatchett.com.