我不相信你會在某天醒來時,突然發現自己是同性戀。
但是我的確相信你會在醒過來的時候明白,
生命中如果少了某個人,你絕對沒辦法度過餘生。
同性戀不是生活方式,這是天生碰巧的事。其次,我沒有選擇去讓女人吸引我,這是天性。同性戀和異性戀一樣,都不是選擇。難道男人受女人吸引是經過選擇的嗎?
「我是凡妮莎,以前我不太注意柔伊,一直到我發現她沉到YMCA的游泳池底之後,情況才有了轉變。那時我以為她要自殺,她剛失去得來不易的胎兒,丈夫也跟她離了婚,發現罹癌的她不得不拿掉子宮,陪伴她爬出谷底是我所能給予的唯一幫助。現在我們共組了新家庭,希望拿柔伊前段婚姻所培育的冷凍胚胎來生兒育女,用我的子宮加上她的卵子一起創造出家庭新成員。」
柔伊的前夫必須簽署放棄文件放棄胚胎,受洗成為基督徒的他無法認同我們的關係,更不能接受未來孩子是在同性戀家庭中成長,他決定要透過法律途徑將胚胎取回。他有龐大的基督教會作為後援,但是我和柔伊誓言抵禦所有的困難,共同面對外界粗暴的質疑和檢視,捍衛我們的愛情與家庭
Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen.
Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter’s life. There’s the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan. A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub. A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.
For better or for worse, music is the language of memory. It is also the language of love.
In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don’t want that to happen.
Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. And it’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family.
★本書中譯版《凡妮莎的妻子》由台灣商務出版。
作者簡介
茱迪.皮考特 Jodi Picoult
1967年生於紐約長島。普林斯頓大學創意寫作學士,哈佛教育碩士。
她的作品已經被翻譯成三十多種語言,並在四十餘個國家發行銷售,繁體中文版有:《姊姊的守護者》、《事發的19分鐘》、《第十層地獄》、《換心》、《死亡約定》、《小心輕放》、《當愛遠行》、《完全真相》、《失去的幸福時光》、《家規》、《魔鬼遊戲》、《凡妮莎的妻子》(依臺灣商務出版時序)。皮考特眾多著作中的《死亡約定》、《完全真相》、《Salem Falls》已被改編成電視電影集,暢銷著作《姊姊的守護者》並翻拍成電影於全球上映。
其在2003年獲得美國新英格蘭最佳小說獎,並榮登《紐約時報》暢銷作家之列,多部作品皆一出版便盤據《紐約時報》暢銷書排行榜第一名數週之久。
目前皮考特和丈夫及三個子女住在新罕布夏州。個人網站: www.jodipicoult.com。
JODI PICOULT is the author of eighteen novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers House Rules, Handle With Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister’s Keeper. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. Visit her website at www.jodipicoult.com.