武漢第二中學 張新民供稿

《我在另一個世界等你》

武漢第二中學 張新民供稿

Elsewhereis a magical realist novel of young adult by Gabrielle Zevin in 2005.It is her first novel telling that a 15 year old girl Liz Hall is hit and killed by a taxi,when wakes up and finds herself in an island called“Elsewhere”,a place so like Earth,yet completely different.Here everyone will age backward from the day of one’s death until he or she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth.

Liz meets her grandmother,who is very young by now,and takes care of Liz.Liz watches her own funeral from the “ObservationDeck1”,and learns that though she is able to see Earth,she is not allowed to make contact with anyone there.Liz can not get over the fact that she is dead,and spends every day at the OD.

《我在另一個世界等著你》(也譯作《異界》)是加·澤文在2005年發(fā)表的一部關于年輕人的魔幻現(xiàn)實主義小說。澤文的這部處女作講述的是15歲的女孩莉茲·霍爾因為車禍而早逝，死后醒來發(fā)現(xiàn)自己來到了一個叫作“異界”的地方。這里和地球非常相似，但卻有本質(zhì)上的區(qū)別。在異界，每個人都會從死的那天起倒著生長，一直到再回到嬰兒時期才能返回地球。

莉茲在異界遇到了現(xiàn)在非常年輕的外婆，外婆一直照顧她。她在“觀景臺”了看到了自己的葬禮，明白了即使她能夠看到地球上的一切，她也不能和地球上的任何人聯(lián)系。莉茲無法對自己已死的事實釋懷，每天都到觀景臺那里呆著。

She had met a friend on the island named Owen who stops her twice and helps her get something similar to a job to comfort animals.Owen contacts Liz’s brother for her and as time goes by,he realizes that he has developed feelings for Liz.Liz,meanwhile,is trying to get back to Earth by“early release”,but is stopped again by Owen.This time Liz accepts her life in Elsewhere.

Liz continues to age backward and it’s her turn finally.She thinks of Elsewhere throughout her journey to Earth.The novel ends with Liz being sent down the river and being reborn into her new life on Earth.

This moving,often funny book aboutgrief2,death,and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.

What would you feel like when watching your self aging backward?If the place where people go after death is as wonderful as Zevin’s book,there is nothing to fear,even death.

她在異界島上交到了一個朋友，名叫歐文。歐文阻止了她兩次，幫她得到類似于安撫動物的工作的機會。歐文還幫莉茲聯(lián)系她哥哥。隨著時間的流逝，歐文意識到自己已經(jīng)對莉茲有了感情。而與此同時，莉茲一直在試著通過“早釋”回到地球，但是又被歐文阻止了。這次莉茲接受了在異界生活的事實。

莉茲一直在逆生長，終于輪到她回到地球了。在回到地球的旅程中，她開始想念異界了。小說的結(jié)局是莉茲被送進來時的那條河，在地球上重生，開始了她的新生活。

這部感人且充滿趣味的小說會讓讀者在翻過最后一頁的時候仍舊對文中表達的悲傷、死亡、失去等主題反復思量。

看著自己一年比一年更年輕，這該是什么心情呢？如果死后的世界真如作者書中想象般的美好，世間的一切就算是死亡也就不那么可怕了。

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