The Discomfort of Evening

　　2020布克國際獎得主

　　評審們齊聲推薦：
　　「書中描述的每一件事、每個時刻，讀來都像是世人第一次接觸到這些事物。」
　　「面對生離死別，孩子們是如何去哀悼？這是個重要議題，但卻缺乏探討。或許那些較激烈的舉動源自於孩子們對於死亡的似懂非懂。」
　　「這本小說不允許你以旁觀者的角度閱讀，讀者立刻就被深深捲入了書中的世界。」

　　「我向上帝祈求，能否帶走哥哥而不要帶走我的兔子。阿們。」10歲女孩Jas擔心父親打算將她的寵物兔子養胖，給家人加菜，於是說出這樣的禱告。沒想到就在她禱告之後，哥哥去結凍的湖上參加溜冰比賽，從此一去不返…

　　28歲荷蘭新秀作家馬利柯‧路卡斯‧瑞因福德，以自身童年遭遇的創傷為故事主題，描述一個信仰虔誠的酪農家庭在遭逢巨變時，因為過度壓抑情緒造成的傷害。冷靜從容的敘事方式，顯得書中這家人逐漸脫序的行為更為詭異。失去親人的哀痛若沒有得到撫平，情緒的反撲可能引起更難以挽回的決裂….

　　(文／博客來編譯)

　　*WINNER OF THE BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2020*

　　'One of the best debut novels I have ever read. Shockingly good ... A classic.' Max Porter

　　The sensational Dutch bestseller:
　　'Exceptional' (Financial Times)
　　'Exhilarating' (Independent)
　　'Luminous' (Observer)
　　'Beautifully wild' (Guardian)

　　I asked God if he please couldn’t take my brother Matthies instead of my rabbit. ‘Amen.’

　　Ten-year-old Jas has a unique way of experiencing her universe: the feeling of udder ointment on her skin as protection against harsh winters; the texture of green warts, like capers, on migrating toads; the sound of 'blush words' that aren't in the Bible. But when a tragic accident ruptures the family, her curiosity warps into a vortex of increasingly disturbing fantasies – unlocking a darkness that threatens to derail them all.

　　A bestselling sensation in the Netherlands, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld's radical debut novel is studded with images of wild, violent beauty: a world of language unlike any other, exquisitely captured in Michele Hutchison's translation.

　　'THE MOST TALKED ABOUT DEBUT NOVEL OF 2020 ALREADY' [Dazed & Confused]
　　ONE OF VOGUE'S TOP FIVE DEBUTS OF 2020
　　ONE OF THE OBSERVER'S HIGHLIGHTS OF 2020
　　ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S TOP TEN BEST NEW BOOKS IN TRANSLATION