★2012年南非《週日時報》年度最佳小說獎決選作
★2012年南非M-Net文學獎決選作
★法語版榮獲2015年索麥文學獎（François Sommer Literary Prize），該獎肯定探索人與環境關係及人文生態價值的作品
★已授權南非、美、法、墨、英（即將公佈）
★名家柯慈、慕克吉（Neel Mukherjee）盛讚作家

一部揉合哥德、懸疑，有如《動物城市》（Zoo City）的奇詭末世都會寓言！

開普敦外圍簇新的豪宅區遭到大批不明蟲類攻擊，昆蟲專家卡蒂雅受命前來解決蟲害，豈料豪宅裡令人驚異的自然景象、與神秘建商的相遇，讓她穩固的自我逐漸崩毀，兒時的惡夢隨著豪宅的失守漫溢而出……

《Nineveh》的女主人公卡蒂雅，擁有十分罕見的專業技能。從小她向父親習得所有剷除害蟲的知識技術，後來卻選擇成為「蟲類人道遷移專家」，專門「援救」那些不討喜、遭人討厭的蟲類。

卡蒂雅工作時穿的連身制服是一身毒蟾蜍般醒目的亮綠色，但她熱愛生物，樂於與鼠類、鳥、蜘蛛、蛇、狒狒為友。這份職業使她必須對開普頓的城市變貌瞭若指掌，因為正是在那些被忽略的角落裡，在拆毀與新建過渡的殘敗間，被迫遷居的生物，包括人類，偷偷重新築起家園。她會熱心巡邏暗角與裂隙，確保那些甲蟲、青蛙、老鼠在應在的地方——這麼做，彷彿也同時控制住關於喜怒無常、飄忽不定的父親的痛苦回憶。

然而，沒有界線是穩固的，尤其在瞬息萬變的開普敦。新建案正在逐漸搖撼破壞她的房子與街道的地基，過去睡在對街的遊民現在已經搬到她臥室外面的狹窄過道裡。此時卡蒂雅接到一項委託：清除富麗堂皇的豪宅「Nineveh」的奇異蟲害，然而，除了這項別具挑戰性力的任務，委託人布蘭德先生也深深吸引著卡蒂雅，他有自己欠缺的堅強、從容，而且富有、成熟、威儀堂堂又善於調情……

然而，一進入Nineveh，卡蒂雅將發現自己不僅將震懾於最具誘惑之美、最具潛在強大力量的自然景象，生機勃勃的隱藏生態系，當沼澤的水一點一滴滲入Nineveh的地基時，她童年的惡魔也一同回返，與各種始料未及的訪客同行……

《Nineveh》是當今備受注目的新銳南非小說家Henrietta Rose-Innes的第三部長篇作品，令人驚嘆地創造出一個生動、豐富的生態體系與隱藏社群。以近未來（但不那麼科幻奇幻而是帶點哥德風格）的方式引人入勝地探索二十一世紀人與環境的關係。本書將於年底再美國出版，屆時作者也將舉辦一系列巡迴造勢活動。

第四本小說《Green Lion》書介：http://www.nurnberg.com.tw/index1-2.php?bookno=01-2080

 

Henrietta Rose-Innes is a South African writer based in Cape Town and currently based in Norwich, UK. Her fourth novel, 'Green Lion', was published in May 2015. Her 2011 novel 'Nineveh' was shortlisted for the M-Net Literary Award and the Sunday Times Fiction Prize, and in 2015 (in French translation, Ninive) it won the François Sommer Literary Prize. Her short novel Shark's Egg (2000) was shortlisted for the 2001 M-Net Book Prize.

She's previously published a collection of short stories, 'Homing', and two novels: 'Shark's Egg' and 'The Rock Alphabet', as well as a South African miscellany, 'Nice Times!' In 2012 her story 'Sanctuary' came second in the BBC International Short Story Prize. In 2008 she won the Caine Prize for African Writing, for which she was shortlisted in 2007. Also in 2007, she was awarded the 2007 South African PEN award for her short story, 'Poison'.

 

‘Part Gothic, part mystery, all amazing. Despite the lack of any SF/F elements, NINEVEH is a contemporary urban fantasy classic, along the lines of ZOO CITY and KING RAT; a tale about a hidden world and the people (and critters) beneath our notice. This is all topped off by a genuinely surprising ending that, although it shocked me, couldn't have been more perfect.’ – Jared, Pornokitsch

‘A gripping, thrilling allegory of a troubled nation, NINEVEH is executed with wit, panache, precision and something that I can only call wounded love for the country the author calls her home.’ – Neel Mukherjee, author of A LIFE APART

‘This multidimensional novel recalls Italo Calvino's beautiful, challenging and descriptive novel, INVISIBLE CITIES ... Such delicacy is evident in NINEVEH, where the architecture is finely spun, amid the ugliness of urban life...’ – Maureen Isaacson, Sunday Independent

Praise for Henrietta Rose-Innes:
‘Henrietta Rose-Innes writes an admirably taut, clean prose…A welcome addition to the new South African literature.’ – J.M. Coetzee