Hard Revolution

出版者:Little, Brown and Company

作者:George Pelecanos

页数:400

出版时间:2004-3

价格:USD 24.95

装帧:Hardcover

isbn号码:9780316608978

具体描述

With the publication of his latest book HARD REVOLUTION, George Pelecanos has written an even dozen novels. Yet he is not as well known as some of his less prodigious and, alas, less talented brethren. Perhaps HARD REVOLUTION will change that.

Pelecanos's Washington, D.C. is not that of the edifices and facades of government; rather, he walks the streets that aren't mentioned in any guidebooks. His last three novels --- RIGHT AS RAIN, HELL TO PAY and SOUL CIRCUS --- have centered on an ex-D.C. police officer named Derek Strange who runs Strange Investigations, a private detective agency. HARD REVOLUTION is a prequel to this series looking at Strange's life as a child in the late 1950s and his experiences as a rookie policeman in 1968 when social upheaval on several different levels was reaching its boiling point. Looking at this Strange will give readers a lot of insight into the character that they have come to know.

Those who come to HARD REVOLUTION with expectations of a straight crime novel will be disappointed; those who read it without expectations will be amply rewarded. We first meet Strange as a twelve-year-old, shortly before the occurrence of a pivotal moment that sets him on the course for his future as a Washington, D.C. policeman. What's also clear is that Strange's parents are his strongest and longest lasting influence. They are hardworking people whose moral compass is a beacon for Strange and a burden that Dennis, his less-fortunate older brother, is unable to live up to. Pelecanos uses almost the first quarter of the book to introduce Strange, his family and a cast of supporting characters. Some readers may find that these chapters drag in spots, but they are extremely well written and ultimately are critical to what is to follow.

Pelecanos then jumps ahead to spring 1968, when the nation is torn apart by the Vietnam War and racial issues. Strange, now a rookie policeman, is dealing with issues on a number of fronts. As a black police officer, he has few friends in the urban community, subsisting primarily on the camaraderie of a few of his fellow officers, the pride of his family and the erstwhile love of a woman to whom he is unable to commit. Strange also is concerned for his brother Dennis, whose companions include a sociopath named Alvin Jones who swims like a shark through the sea of urban D.C.

Strange also meets a veteran police officer named Frank Vaughn, a deeply flawed man who is at the same time a good cop. When a young black man is killed in what appears to be a deliberate hit-and-run accident, Vaughn's quiet sense of outrage cannot let the matter rest, even though he is hardly a politically correct civil rights advocate. Vaughn's determination to bring the perpetrators to justice crosses paths with Strange's quiet determination to do well in the middle of riot-torn D.C. during an armed bank robbery. When events ultimately bring Strange to pursue vengeance, Vaughn is there to show him how the job gets done. The result is a conclusion that will leave neither man quite the same.

Pelecanos's description of the era in which HARD REVOLUTION is set is simply first-rate. While it is relatively easy to get the large details right, it is the way that Pelecanos fills in the nooks and crannies of the era that lends this work its air of authenticity. Pelecanos is particularly dead-on with respect to the local D.C. music scene during the era --- I had forgotten how influential the musicians in the D.C. and Virginia areas had been during the late 1950s --- as well as the national television scene. That Darius Strange, father to Derek and Dennis, is a huge fan of television westerns is a nice touch.

One of the most interesting aspects of HARD REVOLUTION is the introduction of Vaughn. One would hope that Pelecanos's future plans include another novel with Vaughn as at least a secondary character, if not the primary protagonist. However, Pelecanos's extensive bibliography should keep everyone busy until that particular issue is addressed.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

用户评价

**评价四** 这本小说给我的感觉是，它像一部精致的机械钟表，每一个齿轮、每一个发条都咬合得天衣无缝，精确地推动着时间的流逝和故事的发展。作者在铺陈细节时展现出的耐心和严谨令人肃然起敬。我仿佛能看到作者在构思这部作品时付出的巨大心血，每一个伏笔、每一个对照都设计得恰到好处，读到最后揭晓谜底时，那种豁然开朗的快感是无与伦比的。这本书的对话尤其精彩，寥寥数语便能勾勒出人物的性格与背景，充满了张力与潜台词。我个人对这种智力上的较量非常着迷，这本书完全满足了我的期待。它不光提供了娱乐，更提供了一种智力上的挑战和满足感，非常适合那些喜欢深度挖掘文本内涵的读者。

**评价二** 这本书的叙事结构非常巧妙，采用了非线性的叙事方式，将过去、现在与未来交织在一起，形成了一种独特的时空感。这种处理方式让读者在阅读过程中需要不断地去拼凑线索，构建完整的图景，非常有挑战性，也极大地增加了阅读的趣味性。作者对语言的运用简直是一种艺术，遣词造句精准而富有诗意，很多段落读起来简直像是在品味一首精心打磨的诗歌。我尤其喜欢作者在描写环境时所流露出的那种细腻情感，即便是最平凡的场景，在他笔下也充满了生命力和深邃的内涵。这本书的配角也同样出彩，每个角色都有自己鲜明的个性和动机，推动着情节向前发展，没有一个人物是多余的。读完之后，我感觉自己的思维也被打开了，对很多事情有了全新的视角。

**评价一** 最近读完的那本小说，简直是沉浸式的体验，故事情节跌宕起伏，人物塑造得极其立体，让人又爱又恨。作者对细节的把控能力令人赞叹，无论是场景的描绘还是人物内心的挣扎，都刻画得入木三分。我仿佛跟着主角一起经历了那些惊心动魄的时刻，那种身临其境的感觉久久不能平复。尤其是高潮部分的转折，完全出乎我的意料，让我不得不停下来思考其中的深意。这本书不仅仅是一个故事，更像是一面镜子，映照出人性的复杂与矛盾。阅读过程中，我时常会因为某个情节而辗转反侧，思考其中的哲学意味。这本书的文笔流畅自然，又不失力量感，读起来非常过瘾。我强烈推荐给所有喜欢深度思考和复杂叙事的读者，它绝对能带给你一次难忘的阅读旅程。

**评价三** 坦率地说，这本书的阅读体验是相当震撼的。它探讨的主题非常宏大且深刻，涉及了历史、社会结构乃至个体的命运抗争。作者毫不避讳地揭示了现实中那些令人不安的真相，文字的力量非常强大，直击人心最柔软也最坚硬的部分。读完之后，我的内心久久无法平静，思考着我们所处的这个世界究竟是何种模样。这本书的节奏把握得很好，张弛有度，紧张和放松的转换自然流畅，让你在不经意间就被卷入故事的漩涡。我特别欣赏作者那种不妥协的写作态度，他没有为了迎合大众而简化复杂的问题，而是坚持用最真实、最有力的方式去呈现他的观点。这本书绝对是近些年来我读过的最有力量的作品之一，值得反复品读。

**评价五** 很少有一本书能让我产生如此强烈的代入感，仿佛我就是那个在命运洪流中挣扎的主人公。这本书的氛围营造非常成功，那种压抑、紧张、又带着一丝希望的基调贯穿始终，让人喘不过气来，却又忍不住想知道接下来会发生什么。作者的想象力天马行空，构建了一个既熟悉又陌生的世界观，里面的规则和逻辑自成一体，让人深信不疑。我尤其佩服作者处理情感冲突的方式，那种克制而又喷薄而出的情感张力，处理得极其高明，让人在心疼之余，更多的是对人物坚韧不拔精神的敬佩。这本书的篇幅虽然不短，但阅读过程中几乎没有感到任何拖沓，每一页都有其存在的价值。这是一部需要用心去感受、去体会的作品，它会留下深深的烙印在你记忆深处。