The Dark Room

　　《暗房》以二次世界大戰為主軸，將三則發生在二十世紀尋常德國百姓身上的故事串聯成書：「何姆」透過一名身有殘疾的少年攝影助手的鏡頭，觀看納粹在兩次世界大戰之間興起的過程。「蘿芮」描述的是一個在大戰期間隨家人疏散到巴伐利亞地區的少女，在戰後父母雙雙因身為納粹黨員而入獄後，她隻身領著四名年幼的手足前往漢堡投靠外祖母的故事。「麥可」的故事背景則已推移至二十世紀末的德國，一名中學教師堅持打破家族沉默，投身調查外祖父在戰時擔任納粹武裝親衛隊員的事蹟。三則故事互不相連，卻以戰爭的集體罪惡感、家庭、責任、否認、與愛等相同的探討主題而彼此呼應。

　　★本書中譯本《暗房》由木馬文化出版

　　Rachel Seiffert’s absorbing, internationally acclaimed debut explores the modern German psyche through the experiences of three ordinary people.

　　At the onset of World War II, a young photographer’s assistant is kept out of the war due to a physical disability, and instead spends his time capturing on film the changing temper of Berlin, the city he loves. Just weeks after Germany’s surrender, a teenage girl whose parents have been taken into allied custody leads her siblings on a harrowing journey to find their grandmother. And two generations after the war, a teacher searches for the reason why the Russians imprisoned his beloved grandfather. Evoking the experiences of the individual with astonishing emotional depth and psychological acuity, The Dark Room develops a portrait of the twentieth century in all its drama and complexity.

作者簡介

　　Rachel Seiffert was born in England in 1971 and now lives in Germany.