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★福克納/筆會、洛杉磯時報圖書獎決選作《Dept. of Speculation》作者Jenny Offill盛情推薦！

一部在詭異恐怖中閃現溫暖的黑色童話！

謎樣的孩子們接二連三出現在一名毀容男子隱居的大宅前，像是反轉的吹笛人童話。看似天真無邪，不請自來入住的孩童，將翻攪出令人驚駭的真相……

鄉間一幢遺世獨立的宏偉宅院裡，住著臉部嚴重毀容、足不出戶的摩根，與他的管家恩潔。日復一日，摩根在安靜的書房裡消磨時光，極力迴避鏡子裡的倒影，並且絕不涉足與後花園相連的湖畔。

有一天，兩個來路不明名叫莫拉與大衛的小孩突然出現，摩根別無他法，讓他們自由住了下來，沒想到越來越多孩子竟接踵而至：剛走路的幼兒搖搖晃晃從樹叢後面走出來，襁褓中的嬰兒被放置在門階上，最後全部入住摩根的家，清冷陰森的大宅頓時充斥著年輕生命的熱鬧聲響。

鎮上的肯恩醫師偶爾會前來探訪，是摩根與外面世界唯一的連接紐帶，他與摩根一樣對於這些無端出現的孩子同感好奇，因此開始更常造訪待在摩根的圖書室，或提供照護協助，一邊探索孩子神秘的行蹤與這棟房子的秘密。

這些孩子的舉止越發怪異，不僅似乎對摩根的過去有所了解，在閣樓和圖書室挖寶發現的物件也越來越駭人。每天，四處探索的孩子們像是消失在偌大宅院的房間裡，沒入摩根腦海中深埋的暗處。他們究竟來自何處？要揭露摩根的什麼秘密？當一個孩子被迫離開時，摩根終於下定決心踏出他封閉的家園，卻看見一幅彷若飽受戰火摧殘的末世之景。難道孩子們是在戰爭中失怙的孤兒嗎？

當現代童話如《納尼亞傳奇》、《黃金羅盤》述說孩童到遙遠國度完成未知使命的故事，《The Children’s Home》反轉視角，從被拜訪的大宅與未長大的男主人摩根的角度書寫，有如融會雪莉．傑克森與尼爾．蓋曼的風格，揉合心理懸疑、意識流、新哥德恐怖元素譜寫出令人著迷的跨類型黑色童話，獨特描繪出遺棄與孤獨無法避免的傷害，以及靈魂深處同時埋藏的恐怖與善意光輝。

 

Charles Lambert is the author of many novels, short stories, and the memoir, With a Zero at its Heart, which was named one of The Guardian’s Ten Best Books of the Year in 2014. In 2007, he won an O. Henry Award for his short story, “The Scent of Cinnamon.” He has been shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Lichfield Prize, and the Willesden Short Story Prize. He was born in Lichfield, England, and currently lives near Rome, Italy.

 

"A thoroughly original entry into the tradition of ghost stories, eschewing convention….compulsively readable….A one of a kind literary horror story.”——科克斯評論，星級書評

“This genre-bending debut is by turns dread-inducing and heartwarming, a masterful exploration of whether innocence can truly sprout from ignorance….a magical, mesmerizing tale about the courage it takes to confront the unknown.”——書單，星級書評

“Mesmerizing….The folkloric undertone and stylish prose, which is replete with gruesome and wondrous images, keep the reader turning the pages.”——出版人周刊

"A beautiful and uncanny novel by a writer who never ceases to surprise." ——Jenny Offill，福克納/筆會、洛杉磯時報圖書獎決選作《Dept. of Speculation》作者

"The Children's Home is a not-nice sort of fairy tale, where the magic doesn't sparkle prettily but boils and oozes, where the Prince has a face of tatters, where the children take grown-up revenge on their monsters. It's also, somehow, a searching, empathetic narrative about forgiveness." (Owen King, author of DOUBLE FEATURE: A NOVEL)