A. M.

HOMES

AUTHOR OF THE END OF ALICE

MUSIC FOR TORCHING

書名取材自比莉．哈樂黛（Billie Holiday）發行於1955年的同名專輯《悲傷情歌》（Music for Torching）。源自成語單相思或癡戀（to carry a torch），繼而衍生出傷悲歌（Torch Song）一詞。在這部小說當中，荷姆絲揭開婚姻那看似迷人的幻象，讓那宛如柯達彩色相片般絢爛的美好生活，真相呈現在讀者面前。一本幽默諷刺又趣味橫生的都會婚姻小說，相信能讓步入婚姻的男男女女，發自內心的微笑。

As A.M. Homes's incendiary novel unfolds, the Kodacolor hues of the good life become nearly hallucinogenic. Laying bare the foundations of a marriage, flash frozen in the anxious entropy of a suburban subdivision, Paul and Elaine spin the quiet terrors of family life into a fantastical frenzy that careens out of control. From a strange and hilarious encounter with a Stepford Wife neighbor to an ill-conceived plan for a tattoo, to a sexy cop who shows up at all the wrong moments, to a housecleaning team in space suits, a mistress calling on a cell phone, and a hostage situation at a school, A.M. Homes creates characters so outrageously flawed and deeply human that they are entirely believable.

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"I don't know," he says looking at the pan where the roast had lain, the bottom of it thick with congealed white fat, veined with bloody juice. He looks at the pan on the counter, imagines dipping his hand into the grease, smearing it over Elaine's ass and fucking her. 

Her panty hose is down, just above her knees. The water is running, the dishwasher is running. 

Unbeknownst to them, the slipper-feet of his pajamas making him stealthy, silent and indetectable their older son Daniel, has slipped into the room. The kid opens the refrigerator door. 

Paul turns, sees him, and quickly pulls Elaine's skirt down. Elaine stands, embarrassed, at the sink. 

"What are you doing?" Paul demands. 

"Is there any caviar? Mom said that if there was any caviar left over I could have it." 

"You should be asleep," Elaine says. 

Paul points to a small dish on the counter. The kid takes white bread out of the fridge and smears caviar over a piece. 

Elaine, trying to pretend that everything is normal, walks around the kitchen putting things away. She walks with peculiar half steps, the panty hose holding her legs together like a big rubber band. 

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艾美．荷姆絲／Amy M. Homes

Amy M. Homes is an American writer best known for her controversial novels and unusual short stories, which feature extreme situations and characters. Notably, her novel The End of Alice (1996) is about a convicted child molester and murderer.

Homes, who was adopted at birth, met her biological parents for the first time when she was 31, and published a memoir, The Mistress's Daughter (2007) about her exploration of her expanded "family". Her most recent novel, May We Be Forgiven, was published by Viking Books on September 27, 2012. The first chapter of the novel was published in the 100th issue of Granta (in 2008; edited by William Boyd), and was selected by Salman Rushdie for The Best American Short Stories 2008. The novel won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2013.

作者：艾美．荷姆絲／Amy M. Homes

規格：平裝／Paperback，13.6 x 20.4 x 2.5 cm，360頁

版本：初版／First edition

出版商：HarperCollins

品牌：Harper Perennial

出版日期：2000年05月01日

語言：英文

ISBN-10：0-688-17762-X

非新品書頁泛黃，附保護書套，不介意物品狀況再行購買。

Condition: Good. Pre-owned book which has been read but is in good condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact as well. With dust jacket.

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