Reviews

• 現代アメリカの底辺を描いた、非情かつ美しいラブストーリー

  砂漠から来た異邦人の少女と、砂漠で目撃した地獄から抜け出せないでいる若い元兵士がニューヨークの底辺で出会い、恋に堕ち、わずかな希望の光を追う、美しくも、非情なラブストーリー。 ニューヨークを舞台にした「ニューヨーク小説」は毎年数えきれないほど刊行される。現代の愛を描いた小説もそうだ。面白い本も沢山あるが、Preparation for the Next Lifeほど胸に響き、忘れられない小説はめったにない。 まず、この小説に描かれている現代アメリカがとてもリアルである。 イラク戦争の後遺症に苦しむSkinnerが溺れる者が藁を掴むようにZou Leiにしがみつく心境や、現実的な視点を持ちつつも希望を探そうとするZou Leiの不安定な恋愛はリアリスティックだ。同時テロ後にブッシュ政権がテロ対策として作った愛国者法（Patriots Act）で非人間的に扱われる不法移民、その不法移民を活用しているアメリカ経済、虐げられている者同士の差別、など現代アメリカの底辺も見事に描いている。 また、Lishの文章はゾクゾクするほど詩的で洗練されている。スタッカートのような短い文章の連続で、私たちが知らないニューヨークの街角や、戦争の酷いシーンや、砂漠の風景が、鮮やかに浮かんでくる。 マイナーな出版社からの刊行で、沢山売れることなど期待されてもいなかったのに、PEN/Faulkner賞などの文芸賞を受賞した優れた作品である。

• Que vida é essa?

  PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT LIFE, de Atticus Lish, talvez não seja um romance, mas um colosso em forma de narrativa que passa por cima de quem o lê, em sua percepção assustadora e real dos EUA do pós-11 de Setembro e do sonho americano. Escrito numa prosa seca – alguém já chamou de Macho Literature –, tem momentos que beira o documental. Seus personagens são imigrantes, ex-soldados traumatizados, pobres de espírito e de bolso – enfim, uma gente que estaria confortável nas páginas de Hubert Selby Jr, mas Lish (filho do famoso editor Gordon Lish, mas ele não usa isso como credencial) não tem uma prosa “suja” como o autor de Requiem for a Dream, sua narrativa é clara, controlada, e em alguns momentos, lembra o Camera Eye, do John Dos Passos. Zou Lei é uma chinesa imigrante que entrou nos EUA pela fronteira do México. Sua mãe é muçulmana e seu pai um militar. Pouco tempo depois de chegar – sem compreender muito do idioma, e com trabalhos que a consomem e pagam pouco – é presa e julgada, mas acaba não sendo deportada, nem conseguindo documentos. Vive como ilegal, com o constante medo de ser presa e deportada. Seus horizontes se ampliam quando conhece Brad Skinner, ex-veterano do Iraque, que foi obrigado a sair do exército quando sofreu danos físicos e emocionais, a ponto de ficar traumatizado. É do encontro desses dois improváveis que Lish tira a matéria para a percepção dos EUA contemporâneo, um país composto por imigrantes explorados até a medula, invisíveis, mas sem cujo trabalho a sociedade estagnaria. O ponto de vista se iguala ao deles, aqui, vendo-os à mesma altura, e não de cima para baixo. Aliás, as “classes de cima” aparecem em momentos pontuais apenas para que não esqueçamos que elas existem e são as donas do dinheiro e do poder – figurado sempre na opressão policial. Preparation for the Next Life é sobre o sonho americano nos EUA do pós-11 de setembro, pós-crise 2008, no presente da globalização que serve apenas para facilitar a dinâmica dos exploradores e explorados, agora sob o véu da falsa mobilidade. Lish escreve um livro duro, numa prosa realista e com raros momentos de lirismo. É o tipo de romance que poderia facilmente cair no panfletário, mas a maneira como ele constrói a vida dessas duas pessoas é repleta de honestidade – a ponto do amor jamais ser a salvação que todos gostariam que pudesse ser.

• An articulate indictment of Amerika

  "Preparation for the Next Life" is an excellent novel and should be read by every American. Its focus is on the undermost of the "underclass" living in the most derelict parts of Queens, surrounded by rot, ugliness and a society of small and big-time predators. It is in essence an apocalyptic novel, which in my estimation, is a strong indictment of America and the reality behind the "American Dream." The protagonists comprise an ex-soldier who has done 3 tours in Iraq, an illegal immigrant Chinese woman who becomes his lover, and a male ex-convict. The author delineates the emptiness of these two men and the desperation of the woman as their lives intersect. The other protagonist in the novel is the minutely and variably described material and geographical context in which they live their trapped lives. His descriptions of the general neighbourhood and the people who populate it are unforgettable, and it is clear that neither the "preparation" these people live in their beleaguered lives, nor the "next life" they may anticipate will rescue them. I found the book to be deeply disturbing and moving at the same time; I admired the texture and quality of the writing. In my view, it is a "must read" for critical thinkers who have the stomach for "inconvenient truths."

• A Stunning Debut Novel - Where Has This Author Been Hiding?

  This extraordinary novel received a rave review in the New York Times, with the reviewer quoting long passages from the text to illustrate his point that the writing style is in itself remarkable: stark, unsentimental, yet incredibly poetic and evocative. The plot is heartbreaking but simple - the romance between a physically and emotionally damaged Iraq war vet and a a half-Han, half Muslim - an ethnic minority in China - illegal Chinese immigrant. The characters are three-dimensional and their story is tragic and compelling. The real story, however, is the theme of cultural, social and economic conflict and disintegration in modern urban America. The little injustices and expression of inhumanity that the characters face at each turn - the seemingly random, gratuitous physical and emotional violence - make their struggles seem at once noble, Inspiring and, perhaps futile. The descriptions of the landscape in which they struggle, give their story an iconic quality - they are themselves, and have no vision of being anything more than that, yet to the reader are everyone. Depressing? No, gripping - Lish's incredibly detailed, poetic descriptions of the burnt out, busted landscape in which his characters try to forge a relationship and a life - the food malls, junkyards, garages, basements, highways, train station, municipal buildings of the working and lower middle class, particularly immigrants - give this novel a luminous, surreal quality that you will not soon forget. The landscape is transfigured by - what? Hope? Determination? Despair? Spirit? Not a word in this novel is smarmy or sentimental - it is pitiless - yet something else is going on here; humanity. I wondered from the first page what the heck Atticus Lish has been doing for the past 20 years - he is 42, son of the editor, Gordon Lish. Turns out he's been working in factories, becoming a martial arts competitor - lost, yet found. He has certainly found his voice. This is the best novel that I have read in at least the past 5 years. You need to read it.

• Really enjoyed this, it is right now

  Really enjoyed this, it is right now, punchy and I loved the main characters, In fact I missed them when the story finished. There is a reality, truthfulness and Humanity about this book, that draws you in. The story has a range that extends beyond the confines of the story and that feels a larger piece than what is actually written. I also felt part of this world that is far from mine which is the essence of any good story. I would highly recommend this as a top read and a thought provoking story of different cultures and how we are all just looking for love and happiness. On a separate note Politicians should read this, immigrants are Humans not political commodities being traded. We all need to look at the bigger picture, this book really made me think

• New York a la gueule de bois!

  Eblouissant premier roman qui nous entraîne dans le "New York" inversé", pas celui de la finance et de Manhattan, mais celui des quartiers défavorisés, frappés par la misère et la violence (Queens, Chinatown) où des immigrés tentent de reconstruire leur vie parmi des épaves (immeubles, voitures, clochards). Au milieu de cette décrépitude sociale, une histoire d'amour improbable, bouleversante et cruelle entre une immigrée clandestine chinoise et un vétéran de la guerre d'Irak, hyper-traumatisé et incapable de se réintégrer dans la trépidance et la frénésie de la Big Apple. Histoire superbe, âpre, violente de la société américaine des bas-fonds.

Purchase links