Queen's Road Central and other stories

出版者:Hong Kong : Phaeton, c2006.

作者:Matthew Harrison

页数:250

价格:0

isbn号码:9789889889401

具体描述

The eight stories in this collection explore romantic relationships against the background of Hong Kong’s crowded streets. A hillside walk, a tram ride, a court case, a demonstration - or warming noodles in the office pantry - bring the characters together and provide the setting for their encounters. The unique spirit of the city pervades the stories and plays a part in their resolution.

Oppressed by an old love affair, Sharon finds new inspiration one bright morning during a walk on Bowen Road.

Fi Fi Yeung is in control of her job at the Kiangsu Bank, of her family and of herself. Then into this organized world steps the forceful Mr Moore. As Fi Fi gets to know her new colleague, she begins to think of a different future. But change is sweeping through the bank’s headquarters in Queen’s Road Central, and Fi Fi is in control no longer.

Sandra has come to terms with her life but then on a tram ride to Admiralty she glimpses her former lover.

In Queen’s Road East, Dudley believes in the purity of his admiration for a young waitress, but must struggle with a friend's skepticism, a depressed property market, and family burdens.

Baffled by a bizarre sexual assault case in Justice Drive, Polly must learn from her male fellow jurors.

Demonstrations, high finance, and local politics swirl around Chater Garden, prompting a young bond trader to question the meaning of her life. Others offer their guidance - and romantic attention - but Pony is inspired by a Mainland activist who does not even know of her existence.

In her office overlooking Pedder Street, Georgina finds her new management accountant a disturbing presence.

Struggling to raise her son in Hennessy Road, Ling Ling faces a dilemma, and finds help from an unlikely source.

作者简介

Born in the UK, Matthew Harrison is a researcher based in Hong Kong. After studying English at Oxford University Matthew had a brief spell as an English teacher in Germany, and returned to London intending to stay there. But then he met his wife-to-be and they decided to go to Hong Kong. Intending to stay in Hong Kong for two years, Matthew has now stayed twenty. He and his wife have two children.

Matthew’s writing focuses on Hong Kong life. Urban life, office politics, and cross-cultural romance are the staple themes of his stories, in which tragedy and comedy are never too far apart.

用户评价

从文学性的角度来看，这部作品无疑是令人惊叹的。作者的语言功力达到了近乎诗意的地步，每一个词语的选择都经过了精心的打磨，绝无冗余。他擅长使用那些不常见的、充满画面感的动词和形容词，将抽象的情绪具象化。读到一些段落时，我甚至需要放慢速度，反复咀嚼那些句子结构的美感，那些措辞的巧妙之处。更难得的是，这种华丽的文风并非为了炫技而存在，它完美地服务于故事本身所要探讨的疏离感和存在主义的困境。书中那些关于身份认同和记忆本质的探讨，非常深刻，它没有提供简单的答案，而是提出了更尖锐的问题，让你开始审视自己所处的世界的真实性。这不仅仅是一本小说，它更像是一部思想的体操表演，要求读者具备相当的思辨能力才能领略其深层魅力。

这本书的整体氛围营造得非常成功，带有一种挥之不去的、略显压抑的、但又引人入胜的“异托邦”色彩。它似乎设定在一个我们熟悉却又感到陌生的世界里，规则微妙地扭曲了，人际关系也变得更加疏远和功利化。作者对环境的描绘，无论是光线的运用，还是声音的衬托，都极大地增强了这种疏离感，让你不断地在“安全感”和“不安感”之间摇摆。它不是那种传统意义上的惊悚小说，但其散发出的心理上的不适感，却比任何血腥场面都来得更持久。这种对“不完美世界”的深刻描摹，非常具有批判性，它让你在阅读的过程中不断地质疑既定的秩序和被接受的常理。老实说，读这本书需要一点勇气，因为它迫使你直面那些舒适区之外的真相，但最终的回报是巨大的，它拓展了我对文学想象力的边界认知。

这本书的阅读体验简直像是在迷宫里穿梭，每一次转折都出乎意料。作者的笔触细腻入微，对人物内心世界的刻画入木三分，让你仿佛能亲手触摸到那些复杂的情感纠葛。我尤其欣赏他叙事节奏的把控，时而如疾风骤雨般将你卷入高潮，时而又放慢脚步，让你细细品味那些潜藏在日常之下的暗流涌动。书中的一些场景描写，简直让人身临其境，无论是灯火辉煌的都市夜景，还是某个不为人知的小巷深处的秘密，都被描绘得栩栩如生，仿佛我就是那个亲历者。那种强烈的沉浸感，让我在合上书页后，仍久久不能从那个世界中抽离出来，总感觉自己还带着书中人物的某种情绪在继续生活。这种高超的叙事技巧和对细节的执着，绝对是近年来罕见的佳作。它不是那种让你看完就忘的快餐文学，而是会深深扎根在你心底，时不时冒出来提醒你的作品。

读完这本书，我产生了一种强烈的共鸣感，仿佛作者无意中偷窥到了我生命中那些最隐秘的角落。里面的角色形象塑造得极其真实可信，他们有着我们每个人都可能隐藏的弱点、矛盾和不为人知的渴望。我特别喜欢主角面对困境时那种既挣扎又带着一丝宿命感的接受态度，这让人觉得，即便是身处绝境，人性中依然存在着某种坚韧的光芒。书中对于社会背景的描绘也极其精准，那种微妙的阶级差异、城市化进程中人与人之间日渐加深的隔阂，都被不动声色地融入了故事情节之中，丝毫没有生硬的说教感。它通过个体的悲欢离合，折射出了一个时代的侧影，让人在为书中人物的命运唏嘘不已的同时，也对我们自身所处的环境有了更深一层的反思。这种发自内心的情感连接和对现实的精准捕捉，是这本书最打动我的地方。

这本书的结构设计简直是鬼斧神工，充满了对传统叙事模式的解构与重塑。与其说它是一个连贯的故事，不如说它是一系列精心编排的碎片化体验，每一“片”都有其独特的质感和光泽，但当你把它们拼凑起来时，一股宏大而又令人不安的主题便会浮现出来。作者在叙事视角上的切换极其大胆，有时是冷静的旁观者，有时又是深陷其中的局内人，这种切换不仅没有造成混乱，反而像多棱镜一样，从不同的角度折射出事件的复杂性。特别是它对时间线的处理，常常是向前跳跃，然后又突然回溯到关键的过去节点，这种非线性的叙事方式，极大地增强了悬念和智力上的挑战性，迫使读者必须全神贯注，去梳理那错综复杂的因果链条。阅读过程更像是在解谜，每一次对情节的理解深入，都带来一种智力上的巨大满足感，远远超出了单纯被故事吸引的范畴。