That Summer's Trance

作者:Salamanca, J. R.

页数:432

价格:$ 15.82

isbn号码:9781566492201

具体描述

From Publishers Weekly Salamanca's first book in 14 years is being released simultaneously with a new edition of the author's '60s bestseller， Lilith (one million copies in print and a 1964 film version starring Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg). This introspective， detail-rich and haunting literary novel will certainly please fans of his earlier work. Ben Oakshaw has sold out， abandoning a promising acting career to make millions as a D.C. advertising executive and keeping up a fa ade of worldly accomplishment. Then he and his wife， Priscilla， see a new play by Jill Davenport， an actress Ben worked with at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Jill's play terrifies Ben but charms Priscilla， who invites Jill and her companion， Tony， to spend two weeks in their beach house on Cape Hatteras. What Priscilla doesn't know is that the play reenacts Ben and Jill's affair in London before and after his marriage to Priscilla. In the ensuing two weeks at the beach， the couples share copious amounts of liquor， quote poetry and tell romantic ghost stories. Worried at first that Priscilla will discover his old indiscretion， Ben eventually resumes his affair with a disarmingly eager Jill. The deliberately paced narrative sacrifices surprise for emotional depth: Salamanca's characters realize their faults and squirmingly face their pasts as they act out their morality tale in a privileged world of sunshine and Chardonnay. Salamanca's writing prompts comparisons to William Styron， via its leisurely attention to setting and in the author's affection for his characters， no matter how dishonorably they behave. Relentless， dignified， lengthy and fully realized， "haunted by the future as well as the past，" Salamanca's new work recalls the triumphant realist novels from the '40s and '50s more than it does much current work: it deserves a broad welcome and serious attention. (July) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Library Journal Motivation， like plot， characterization， and dialog， is an important element in fiction. This ambitious novel is missing the "why" and ultimately disappoints despite its lyrical writing style. (It's Salamanca's first work in 14 years， after Embarkation.) Self-made Oakshaw has it all: successful career， enviable lifestyle， and adoring wife. Buried in the past is his sole regret that despite great talent， he never made it as a serious actor. Then former classmate/lover Jill shows up unexpectedly， starring in a play that she wrote. Charmed by the charismatic woman， Ben's wife invites Jill and her boyfriend to spend a week in one of their lush homes. What Ben's wife does not know is that the play was a vicious take on Ben's unhappy relationship with Jill. The bulk of the novel is weighed down with talky episodes that fail to get inside the protagonists; there's a lot of erudition shown off here but not much character development. Ben， an autodidactic who cannot resist the sound of his own voice， is flawed but not evil. Jill， on the other hand， is evil personified. Why the awful revenge exacted at the end? It's a puzzler. Recommended only for libraries interested in Salamanca's work. [This book is being released simultaneously with a reprint of Lilith， Salamanca's 1961 best seller and the basis of the hit film.DEd.]DJo Manning， Barry Univ.， Miami Shores， F.-DJo Manning， Barry Univ.， Miami Shores， FL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. See all Editorial Reviews

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这本书的结构设计，简直像一个精密的万花筒，每一个章节的翻转都带来了全新的视觉冲击和意义重塑。我惊讶于作者如何能将看似分散的线索，巧妙地编织进一个宏大的叙事框架之中。起初，你可能觉得某些片段显得突兀或与主线关联不大，比如那段关于古老钟楼维修工的支线故事，但读到后半段时，你会猛然惊觉，原来那份对“精准计时”的执着，竟然与主角对“完美瞬间”的追逐有着惊人的呼应。这种伏笔的设置，高级且令人拍案叫绝。它打破了传统的线性叙事模式，采用了回旋往复的手法，让时间的概念本身成为一个可以被反复审视和解构的对象。我喜欢这种挑战读者的智力和耐心的写作方式，因为它给予了最终的解答以更大的震撼力。每次读完一个大段落，我都会习惯性地倒回去翻阅前文，寻找那些先前忽略的微妙暗示，每一次重温，都能发现新的层次感。这本书的阅读体验，是一种对结构美学的欣赏，它证明了叙事技巧的精湛，能让一个故事的骨架本身就具有极高的艺术价值。

从文字的质地上来看，这本书无疑是一部值得细细咀嚼的作品。作者的词汇选择非常精准且富有画面感，尤其在描述光线和声音的章节中，展现出了非凡的功力。举个例子，他对“阴影如何被拉长”的描绘，不仅仅是物理现象的记录，更像是对角色内心时间流速变化的隐喻。我特别注意到那些罕见的动词和形容词的组合，它们共同营造了一种既古典又现代的文学质感，读起来有一种在阅读十九世纪欧洲文学大家作品的庄重感，但内核却是完全当代且令人不安的。这种语言上的考究，使得这本书在信息密度上非常高，需要读者放慢语速，去体会每一个词语被精心放置的位置。它不像现在流行的快节奏小说那样追求叙事的效率，而是更注重语言本身的音乐性和美感。我认为，光是学习作者如何组织句子，如何控制段落的呼吸感，就已经是物超所值的一次阅读投资了。这本书的每一个句子都似乎经过了反复的打磨，充满了沉甸甸的分量，让人不得不对其语言驾驭能力表示由衷的敬佩。

这本书的情感基调是极其复杂的，它游走在怀旧的感伤和对未来不确定的恐惧之间，但从未彻底沉沦于任何一种情绪。我感受到的不是单一的悲伤或快乐，而是一种混合了夏日午后的慵懒、初恋时酥麻的悸动，以及某种巨大失落感后留下的空洞。作者对“感官记忆”的捕捉能力简直是超凡的，书中对于某种特定气味——比如晒干的旧书页混合着海盐的味道——的描写，强烈地激发了我自身的陈年记忆，以至于我能清晰地“闻”到那个虚拟的世界。这种强烈的共情体验，使得阅读过程充满了情感的投入和消耗。有时候，我需要放下书本，深呼吸几口，来平复内心被激起的情绪波动。这本书处理创伤的方式也十分克制和内敛，它没有用戏剧性的爆发来宣泄痛苦，而是选择了让痛苦像慢性病一样渗透在日常生活的肌理之中，这反而更让人感到真实和难以逃脱。它探讨了时间对记忆的腐蚀作用，以及我们如何努力去抓住那些稍纵即逝的“完美瞬间”，这种对生命本质的哲学追问，让这本书的深度远远超越了普通的小说范畴。

这本书的封面设计本身就带着一股魔力，那种深邃的靛蓝与若隐若现的金色笔触交织在一起，仿佛预示着一场迷失与发现的旅程。我几乎是被这视觉语言吸引着翻开了第一页，期待着能跟随作者的笔触，沉浸到一个完全不同的时空维度。故事的开篇没有那种急促的悬念设置，反而像是一场缓慢升起的晨雾，带着清冷的湿气和一丝不易察觉的甜香。主人公的出场处理得极为细腻，她并非一个传统意义上的英雄，她的困惑、她的犹豫，都像极了我们生活中那些不经意间被忽略的内心波动。我特别欣赏作者对于环境氛围的刻画，那种海边小镇特有的潮湿、咸腥以及午后阳光穿过百叶窗时投下的斑驳光影，都栩栩如生地构建了一个让人想要立刻逃离到其中的世界。阅读的过程中，我好几次停下来，合上书本，只是盯着窗外发呆，试图将书中的场景与现实的感官体验进行比对和融合。这本书的叙事节奏掌握得恰到好处，它让你不急不躁，允许你和角色一同呼吸，一同感受那种潜藏在平静表面下的暗流涌动。这绝不是那种让你一口气读完的快餐式小说，它更像是精心酿造的一杯陈年威士忌，需要你细细品味，才能体会到那股复杂而悠长的回甘。我感觉作者在用一种近乎诗意的语言，描绘着关于时间停滞和记忆重塑的主题，这种处理方式让我对后续情节充满了无限的好奇与敬畏。

老实说，我一开始对这种带有强烈“氛围感”的小说持保留态度，因为很多时候，华丽的辞藻堆砌往往掩盖了情节的空洞。然而，这本书的对话部分彻底颠覆了我的预期。角色的交锋与其说是言语上的冲突，不如说是思想深处的暗战。那些看似平淡无奇的日常对话，字里行间都蕴含着深层次的张力，每一个停顿，每一次欲言又止，都比直接的争吵更有力量。特别是其中两位核心人物之间的交流，那种微妙的试探和默契，让人仿佛能闻到空气中弥漫的未宣之情。我注意到作者非常擅长使用非直接的表达方式来推进人物关系，比如通过对食物、对光线的描述来侧面烘托人物此刻的心理状态。这种“写意”的叙事手法，要求读者必须全神贯注，去解读那些潜藏在表象之下的潜台词。我甚至开始在自己的阅读笔记上，梳理这些人物关系图谱，试图描绘出他们之间错综复杂的联结。这本书的魅力就在于，它强迫你去思考“什么没有被说出来”的重要性，而非仅仅关注“什么被说了出来”。阅读体验的深度因此被极大地拓宽了，它不再是单纯的接收信息，而更像是一种共同的解密过程。