Some Bright Nowhere

【歐普拉選書】


「非凡傑作。這類作品就是我熱愛閱讀的原因。這本關於婚姻、友情、生命與死亡的小說令人驚嘆。」——艾琳．希爾德布蘭（Elin Hilderbrand）

「深刻、動人、真實。」——安德魯．西恩．葛里爾（Andrew Sean Greer）

「《Some Bright Nowhere》是一部會深深吸引你並緊緊抓住你的小說。太精彩了。」——梅格．沃利茲（Meg Wolitzer）

這位暢銷且深受讀者喜愛的作者，時隔十多年以首部長篇小說回歸，細膩而深刻地描寫一段長久婚姻，以及一個意想不到的臨終請求，如何徹底改變夫妻雙方對彼此與自我的理解。

伊萊特（Eliot）與妻子克萊兒（Claire）幸福結縭近四十年。他們在寧靜的康乃狄克州小鎮養育了兩個孩子，一同走過生活中必然出現的高低起伏。然而，在克萊兒罹癌八年後，生命即將步入尾聲，是時候讓親友們聚集、面對不可避免的結局。

多年來，伊萊特自願、並帶著深情，逐漸轉為照護者的角色，也珍惜這份比丈夫身分更複雜、更親密的陪伴。但就在他試圖安穩安排他們最後的日子時，克萊兒突然提出一個令他震驚的要求──那一瞬間，他苦心建構的世界瞬間崩解。

如果你摯愛之人的臨終心願，會讓你心碎，你會怎麼做？
我們真的了解自己最愛的那個人心底最深的渴望嗎？

面對婚姻與人生的重大轉折點，伊萊特被迫重新檢視自己曾經是個怎樣的男人、怎樣的丈夫，也面對克萊兒生命最後時光中那些未知、恐懼與渴望。

安．派克（Ann Packer）以這部充滿力量的回歸之作再次驚艷讀者——細膩而赤裸、真摯又出乎意料。《Some Bright Nowhere》深刻探索：真心愛一個人，帶來的禮物與代價是什麼？當生命走向終點時，人們最深層的恐懼與渴望又是什麼？


AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK

"Extraordinary. Books like this are why I love reading. This novel about marriage and friendship and life and dying is a marvel." —Elin Hilderbrand

“Profound and moving and real.”—Andrew Sean Greer

“Some Bright Nowhere is a novel that draws you in deeply and holds you there. Wonderful.”—Meg Wolitzer
The bestselling, beloved author returns with her first novel in over a decade, an intimate and profoundly moving look at a long marriage and the ways in which a startling request can change a couple’s understanding of who they are, together and apart.
Eliot and his wife Claire have been happily married for nearly four decades. They’ve raised two children in their sleepy Connecticut town and have weathered the inevitable ups and downs of a long life spent together. But eight years after Claire was diagnosed with cancer, the end is near, and it's time to gather loved ones and prepare for the inevitable.
Over the years of Claire’s illness, Eliot has willingly—lovingly—shifted into the role of caregiver, appreciating the intimacy and tenderness that comes with a role even more layered and complex than the one he performed as a devoted husband. But as he focuses on settling into what will be their last days and weeks together, Claire makes an unexpected request that leaves him reeling. In a moment, his carefully constructed world is shattered.
What if your partner’s dying wish broke your heart? How well do we know the deepest desires of those we love dearly? As Eliot is confronted with this profound turning point in his marriage and his life, he grapples with the man and husband he’s been, and with the great unknowns of Claire’s last days.
Ann Packer makes a triumphant return with this powerful novel that is tender and raw, visceral and unexpected. Emotionally vibrant and complex, Some Bright Nowhere explores the profound gifts and unexpected costs of truly loving someone, and the fears and desires we experience as the end of life draws near.