The Lovely Bones of Susie Salmon|苏西的世界

　　

by Li Chen

Based on the author's own personal experience, The Lovely Bones is a miraculous tale of hope and healing.

根据作者的亲身经验，《苏西的世界》是一个关于希望和疗愈的精采故事。

When Alice Sebold wrote her novel The Lovely Bones, she had no idea that it would become an overnight success. It was on the The New York Times hardback bestseller list for over a year, with sales reaching nearly two million copies.

The story begins with the main character, Susie Salmon, already in heaven at the age of 14. From her unusual perch, she reveals a haunting story of her brutal rape and murder by a neighbor in her suburban hometown in 1973. However, the novel is not just all about the crime itself. Instead, it focuses on the emotional impact that Salmon, her family, and even her killer must face while trying to come to terms with what happened. In the weeks following her violent death, Salmon has to watch life go on without her while trying to accept the fact that she's dead. At first, Salmon witnesses her family holding a strong belief that she is alive and will ultimately be found. Sadly enough, as time marches on without any leads, the realization that she is gone for good starts setting in, and Salmon has to accept the changes that she sees within herself and her family. Salmon observes her little brother trying to understand the word "gone," her sister trying to harden herself against loss, her mother trying to escape her life of domestic responsibilities, and her father trying not to lose himself while hunting down Susie's killer. In the end, Salmon says that her "lovely bones" are the connections that happen between the people because of her death.

First published in 2002, The Lovely Bones is now heading for the movie theaters. Director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson insisted on keeping his film adaptation consistent with the novel's original tone and mood. Fans of the novel are certain to find themselves in seventh heaven when the movie hits theaters this February.

1.  What is the main purpose of this article?

(A) To share the author's personal experience about a brutal event.

(B) To give a brief introduction of the book The Lovely Bones and its upcoming movie.

(C) To complain about a 14-year-old girl named Susie Salmon.

(D) To go behind the scenes of the new movie The Lovely Bones.

2.  What is NOT true of the main character?

(A) Her neighbor brutally raped and murdered her.

(B) She watches life go on from the spirit world.

(C) She is only 14 years old when she dies.

(D) From heaven, she can alter what her family goes through on Earth.

3.  What is something Salmon has to accept about her family?

(A) In the end, everyone gives up hope of finding her alive and continues to live their lives.

(B) Her little brother runs away from the family and disappears.

(C) Her mother and sister work really hard to keep the family together.

(D) Her father almost loses his life while trying to find Susie's killer.

4.  How is director Peter Jackson going to direct the film adaptation of the book?

(A) He plans to have Susie Salmon come back to life in the end.

(B) He intends to change how Susie Salmon is murdered so that it will be less violent.

(C) He promises to stay true to the tone and mood of the book.

(D) He is going to focus the movie more on the crime than on Susie and her family.

　　艾莉丝．希伯德撰写《苏西的世界》时，没想过这本小说会在一夕之间暴红。它荣登《纽约时报》的精装书畅销排行榜长达一年的时间，销售近两百万本。

　　故事是从苏西．沙蒙这位 14 岁就已经上天堂的女孩开始。从她身处天堂这个不寻常的高处，苏西道出了一个令人难忘的故事：1973 年在位于郊区的家中，她被一名邻居残忍地奸杀。然而，这本小说并不只在叙述这项罪行。它反而着重苏西、她的家人甚至是凶手在接受这场悲剧的同时，所必须面对随之而来的情绪冲击。在苏西惨遭横祸去世接下来的几周，苏西必须看着在没有她的情况下日子继续运作，而她也得接受自己已不在人世的事实。起初，苏西目睹她的家人抱持着她尚在人间，最终将被寻获的坚定信念。不过不幸的是，随着时光流逝，却毫无任何线索，苏西已身亡的事实才逐渐被接受，而苏西本人也必须接受自身和家人的改变。她看着弟弟试着理解『去世』这个词的意思，妹妹试图让自己坚强来对抗失去她的事实，母亲试图逃避自己的家庭责任，而父亲则在追捕杀害苏西的凶手时，试着不要迷失自己。最后，苏西说她的死亡联系了身边的人所发生的一切，而这些就是她『美丽的骨干』。

　　《苏西的世界》于 2002 年初版，如今将跃上大屏幕。《魔戒三部曲》的导演彼得．杰克森坚持这部改编电影要忠于原著。对书迷而言，当《苏西的世界》这部电影在今年二月上映时，他们将会发现自己开心得彷佛置身天堂一般。

标准答案: 1. (B)　2. (D)　3. (A)　4. (C)

For Your Information

艾莉丝．希伯德毕业于 Irvine 区的加州大学，1999年曾将自己大学时代遭受强暴的经验写成自传 Lucky（中文版译名为《折翼女孩不流泪》），《村声杂志》曾推荐她为『最具潜力的作家』，2002年 6 月出版的《苏西的世界》，甫上市就击败畅销排行榜的老牌作家，荣登冠军宝座。她曾为《纽约时报》及《芝加哥论坛报》撰稿，现与先生、也是知名作家 Glen David Gold 住在加州。（参考数据：维基百科、博客来网络书店）