讀完最後一頁把書闔上,外頭壓著積重的雲層,沒想到眼眶先下起雨來,一邊慶幸已經從咖啡廳、健身房,轉移到無人的超商二樓用餐區的一角。 若要說高中前影響我最深的一本書,應該是André Aciman 的 Call Me By Your Name;每年夏天我讀了又讀,彷彿要把17歲的情懷跟從沒經歷過的北義風情移植到台灣,導致往後不論是寫散文、臉書記事、乃至學測英文作文都難脫繾綣之氣,那樣綿延的連綴像是要把當時跟現在的自己連接起來的一種嘗試。 而這次讀完李佳穎的《進烤箱的好日子》,於24歲的自己彷彿又有同等的重量與震撼。 從翻開有機化學考古題本到抬起頭已是落日餘暉的日子,已經是上週的事,一切都成定局但仍未為我所知的成績放榜是未來,懷著忐忑跟焦慮的等待是現在,但每個下一秒又像書頁翻成過去,有時竟也難以辨析它們之間的關係——它們彼此互為因果,目的地可以是因也可以是當初決定出發而終究抵達的果。 「對自己說我」似乎是紀錄的原初真相,也是一個很好的手段。當你對自己充滿困惑或對過往感到傷痛,可以做的第一步可能是了解自己從何而來,你便有了找出從何而去的立足點。
This, is an absolute banger. Now I totally understand the hype. And I have to say, this is probably the best thing I’ve ever read in Chinese.
The idea is so unique: the process of a writer writing a memoir, interwoven with the memoir itself, surrounding the idea of writing as a way to remember, to record the moments. It deals with growing up, family, human relationships, and is just so beautifully written. The dialogues and the scenes are so lively, and I think the whole novel is just so sincere and believable. It feels like you’re sitting down with the protagonist, reading her drafts and listening to her talking. The thinking process of the protagonist is so interesting, and watching her debating with her self is such a joy. Also there are so many mysteries left. I want to know her whole life now.
By both show and tell, the author creates a world where fiction and documentary are shared in one place. This is such a beautiful work, filled with emotions, literary references, and most importantly, sincere human interactions.
This will be a modern classic of Taiwanese literature. Love it, love it, love it.
Won't say I understand everything in this book, but from what I know, this book can be a very special milestone for every Taiwanese book market. It shows that while Taiwanese history is interesting, not every good book from a Taiwanese writer should be writing about history, and personal, merely interesting reflection upon life is doable too. Aight, back to the book itself. I've spent about 4 days to read it through, but I think with Lee's writing, one can easily stop and comtemplate each sentence and chapter for much longer time. The overall writing style of her is crazy fun, very meta, but unlike many trying to be meta, her writing are strong. Would definitly love to read more books like this, and (though I don't think Lee herself gives a fuck about that, judge by how she talks aobut writing within this book) I think this is a step towards the right direction for Taiwanese literature.
An amazing “fiction” that is written as a biography, with a lot of interesting elements, including the techniques in writing fictions and biographies, as well as traditional, well-known childhood tales. Surprisingly a great and enjoyable page turner.