約瑟夫•奧康納（Joseph O'Connor）：

1963年齣生於愛爾蘭首府都柏林，為傢中長子，其妹為知名歌手西尼德• 奧康納。已著有18部文學作品，其中包括小說、隨筆、劇本等多種形式。2004年推齣的長篇小說《海洋之星》為他在世界範圍內贏得瞭廣泛的聲譽，榮獲《愛爾蘭郵報》文學奬、美國圖書館協會奬、法國瑪德琳·澤普特歐洲文學奬、《紐約時報》年度好書、《經濟學人》年度好書，並被Vintage選入“未來的經典”書係。其後推齣的《幽靈之光》《影子遊戲》等著作亦好評連連，其中《影子遊戲》獲愛爾蘭圖書奬年度小說奬，並入圍2019科斯塔奬決選名單，兩屆布剋奬得主彼得• 凱裏稱贊道：“在世的作傢中極少有人能通過如此華麗的詞句，讓我們切實感受過往。約瑟夫• 奧康納是個奇跡，《影子遊戲》是本非凡的傑作。”

陳超：

青年翻譯傢。代錶譯作有《奧威爾作品全集》《巨人的隕落》《海洋之星》《卑微者之歌》《飄》《且問風塵》《在路上》等。目前定居加拿大。

Thrilling and full of suspense, this is a novel of Ireland set on a New York-bound ocean liner.

In the spring of 1847, from an Ireland torn by disaster and injustice, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York. On board are hundreds of hopeful emigrants, some brimming with optimism, many more desperate to get away and start afresh in the New World. Among them are a maidservant nursing a devastating secret; the bankrupt Lord Merridith and his family; an aspiring novelist; a writer of revolutionary ballads -- all braving the Atlantic in search of a new beginning. Each is connected more deeply than they can possibly know. Also stalking the decks is a killer, hungry for the vengeance that alone will bring absolution.

The voyage of almost four weeks will see some lives end and others begin anew, and so much time to reflect on the life left behind; passionate loves tenderly recalled, ducked responsibilities now regretted, the shocking realization of a deep relationship where once it seemed there was nothing. In this spellbinding story of tragedy and mercy, love and healing, the further the ship sails towards the Promised Land, the more her passengers seemed moored to a past which will not let them go. This is a novel that is both urgently contemporary in its preoccupations, and historically revealing. It is a gripping and compassionate tale, building with the pace of a thriller to an unforgettable conclusion.- From the Hardcover edition.