I have to say I did not enjoy reading this book. The characters were one dimensional, stereotypical with clear cut of good and bad, black and white. The plot lines were not natural, lack of logic links and seemed forced.
But at the end, it got me thinking about what author focusing on: the shallowness and fakery of upper middle class suburban life. I think the one dimensional characters undermined author’s cause.
Being an outsider as an immigrant, I am puzzled by the depth and timetable of this fakery. The story of the book was happening during pre-social media time. How true and how deep is this fakery? How relevant now?
I think the author had a good intention, but in the end, it stayed at a shallow end.
《星星之火可以燎原》
- Little fire everywhere
文/紫若蓝
星星之火（Little fire everywhere) 是美国亚裔女作家Celeste Ng创作的第二本小说，发表于2017 年。美国著名影星Reese Witherspoon于2020年把这本小说改编成同名电视剧，在Hulu上播出。小说也同期登上了纽约时报畅销书排行榜首，并连续三个星期保持第一名，获得广泛关注。
这部小说以上世纪九十年代的俄亥俄克利夫兰市中高档郊区为背景，以几个不同经济阶层家庭里的母亲为主线，通过高中生早恋早孕这样青春期孩子成长的烦恼，叠加抓人眼球的跨种族和阶层的婴儿领养诉讼案件，作者描绘了几个交织在一起的母亲对孩子的不同期待，和不同背景里成长的孩子截然不同的待人处事的态度。可惜作品里的人物带着浓重夸张的格式化痕迹，情节牵强，导致作者笔下以家庭为核心的原生态的美国社会缺乏说服力。
我觉得作者试图探讨触动美国社会脉搏的深层话题，人物和情节的构思却没有开发出其内在潜力。虽然小说人物不尽完美，但是我觉得作者还是在某种程度上刨析了在同一个富裕社区的横断面上价值观念在阶层之间的矛盾和挣扎，隐约呈现出美国郊区阶层之间的封闭隔离，和中高产阶层的价值理念凝固虚伪化的社会状态。
星星之火可以燎原，这部亚裔作者的作品，带着稍许亚裔元素、以暴露主流社会虚伪化为背景成功打入美国文化榜首，也多多少少反映出美国社会种族和阶层之间的不协调。而在这美国政治、经济、外交和文化受到多重挑战的2020年，也让我感到某种挥之不去的共鸣。
- 写于2020底
附上我在Good Read上的英文评论：
I have to say I did not enjoy reading this book. The characters were one dimensional, stereotypical with clear cut of good and bad, black and white. The plot lines were not natural, lack of logic links and seemed forced.
But at the end, it got me thinking about what author focusing on: the shallowness and fakery of upper middle class suburban life. I think the one dimensional characters undermined author’s cause.
Being an outsider as an immigrant, I am puzzled by the depth and timetable of this fakery. The story of the book was happening during pre-social media time. How true and how deep is this fakery? How relevant now?
I think the author had a good intention, but in the end, it stayed at a shallow end.
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这是我们的对话：
Why?
We shouldn't divide people by class. I think we should say "middle income".
Then we divide people by how much money they make.
Well, income and education.
Oh, I'm well educated, but definitely underpaid. Where do I fit?
这时一桌子后来的，不知道我们在讨论什么的人开始同意我同事的观点，说现在的社会有多不公平，民主党，共和党。。。我赶快把四分之一碗饭都扒拉到嘴里，逃了，噎的我半天缓不过气来。