爱永

加布瑞埃拉·泽文（Gabrielle Zevin， 1977～），美国作家、电影剧本编剧。泽文毕业于哈佛大学英美文学系，现已出版了八部小说，第一部小说《我在另一个世界等你》（Elsewhere）被翻译成二十多种语言。她曾担任电影《与女人们的对话》（Conversations with Other Women）的编剧，并获得独立精神奖提名。《岛上书店》（The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry）是她的第八部小说，在2014年获选美国独立书商选书第一名，登上《纽约时报》畅销书排行榜，风行全球30多个国家。

加布瑞埃拉·泽文

Excerpts1）

Once the store is closed， A. J. goes upstairs to change into his running clothes. He leaves through the bookstores front entrance and， as has become his custom， does not lock the door.

A. J. had run cross-country2） on his high schools team and then at Princeton. He picked up the sport mainly because he had no skill for any other sport aside from the close reading of texts. He never really considered running cross-country to be much of a talent. His high school coach had romantically referred to him as a reliable middleman， meaning that A. J. could be counted on to finish in the upper middle of any pack. Now that he hasnt run for a while， he has to concede3） that it had been a talent. In his current condition， he cant make it more than two miles without stopping. He rarely runs more than five miles total， and his back， legs， and basically every part of him hurt. The pain turns out to be a good thing. He used to pass his runs by ruminating4）， and the pain distracts him from such a fruitless activity.

Toward the end of his run， snow begins to fall. Not wanting to track mud indoors， A. J. stops on the porch to take off his running shoes. He braces himself on the front door， and it swings open. He knows that he didnt lock it， but he is reasonably sure that he didnt leave it open. He flips on the light. Nothing seems out of place. The cash register doesnt look molested5）. Probably， the wind had blown the door open. He flips off the light and is almost to the stairs when he hears a cry， sharp like a birds. The cry repeats， more insistent this time.

A. J. turns the lights back on. He walks back to the entrance and then makes his way up and down each aisle of the bookstore. He comes to the last row， the poorly stocked Childrens and Young Adult section. On the floor sits a baby with the stores lone copy of Where the Wild Things Are （one of the few picture books Island6）even deigns7） to carry） in its lap and opened to the middle. It is a large baby， A. J. thinks. Not a newborn. A. J. cant clock the age because， aside from himself， he has never really known any babies personally. He was the youngest child， and obviously， he and Nic8） never had any of their own. The baby is wearing a pink ski jacket. She has a full head of light brown， very curly hair， cornflower blue9） eyes， and tan-colored skin a shade or two lighter than A. J.s own. Its rather a pretty thing.

“Who the hell are you？” A. J. asks the baby.

For no apparent reason， she stops crying and smiles at him. “Maya，” she answers.

That was easy， A. J. thinks. “How old are you？” he asks.

Maya holds up two fingers.

“Youre two？”

Maya smiles again and holds up her arms to him.

“Where is your mommy？”

Maya begins to cry. She continues to hold out her arms to A. J. Because he cant see his way to any other options， A. J. picks her up. She weighs at least as much as a twenty-four carton10） of hardcovers， heavy enough to strain his back. The baby puts her arms around his neck， and A. J. notes that she smells rather nice， like powder and baby oil. Clearly， this is not some neglected or abused infant. She is friendly， well dressed， and expects—nay， demands—affection. Surely the owner of this bundle11） will return at any moment with an explanation that makes perfect sense. A broken-down car， say？ Or perhaps the mother was struck with a sudden case of food poisoning. In the future， he will rethink his unlocked-door policy. Though it had occurred to him that something might be stolen， he had never considered the possibility that something might be left.

She hugs him tighter. Over her shoulder， A. J. notices an Elmo12） doll sitting on the floor with a note attached to his matted red chest by a safety pin. He sets the baby down and picks up Elmo， a character A. J. has always despised13） because he seems too needy.

“Elmo！” Maya says.

“Yes，” A. J. says. “Elmo.” He unpins the note and hands the baby the doll. The note reads：

To the Owner of This Bookstore：

This is Maya. She is twenty-five months old. She is VERY SMART， exceptionally verbal for her age， and a sweet， good girl. I want her to grow up to be a reader. I want her to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about those kinds of things. I love her very much， but I can no longer take care of her. The father cannot be in her life， and I do not have a family that can help. I am desperate.

小说英文版封面

Yours，

Mayas Mother

Fuck， A. J. thinks.

1. 节选部分主要讲述的是书店老板A. J.跑步归来，发现有人把孩子留在了他的书店，希望他能收养这个孩子。

2. cross-country：越野赛跑

3. concede [k?n?si?d] vt. （不情愿地）承认;承认……为真（或正确）

4. ruminate [?ru?m?ne?t] vi. 沉思;反复思考

5. molest [m??lest] vt. 妨碍;打扰;骚扰

6. Island：指小岛书店。

7. deign [de?n] vi. 降低身份，屈尊，俯就

8. Nic：妮可，A. J.已故的妻子

9. cornflower blue：矢车菊蓝，中藏蓝

10. carton [?kɑ?（r）t（?）n] n. 纸（板）盒，纸（板）箱

11. bundle [?b?nd（?）l] n. 包裹，包袱

12. Elmo：美国儿童电视节目《芝麻街》（Sesame Street）中的玩偶主人公

13. despise [d??spa?z] vt. 鄙视，藐视，看不起

作品赏析

在与世隔绝的艾丽丝岛上，性情古怪的书店老板A. J. 费克里经营着岛上唯一一家书店。中年丧妻的悲惨境遇将他推入人生谷底：他变得愤世嫉俗，也不与人为善，书店陷入危机，连唯一值钱的珍本书也遭窃。A. J.的内心因一连串不幸彻底沦为荒岛。而就在此时，一个神秘的包裹出现在书店中，一个名叫“玛雅”的女婴由此闯入A. J.的生活。对这个弃婴的收养意外拯救了陷于孤独绝境中的A. J.，玛雅成了连接他和周遭人的纽带。他先是修复了与出版社销售代表阿米莉娅之间的紧张关系，摈弃相互抱有的偏见后，两人因为对阅读的热爱而逐渐从敌人变成恋人，最后成为人生伴侣。为了给玛雅更好的照顾，A. J.与前妻的姐姐伊斯梅从原本冷淡的关系渐渐转向真正的亲人关系。A. J.原本轻视的警长兰比亚斯也在与他日复一日的相处中成为A. J.人生中不可或缺的朋友。当A. J.终于挥别过去的阴霾，拥抱他与玛雅和阿米莉娅共建的幸福家庭时，残酷的命运之神却并未减少对A. J.的兴趣，一场突如其来的大病夺去了他的生命，让他不得不告别来之不易的幸福。虽然故事的结局并不圆满，但在这个过程中，A. J.从一开始的孤寂、冷漠，到一步步敞开心扉与周遭的人建立联结，获得了更加丰富的生命体验。小岛上的几个生命彼此相依，走出了各自人生的困境。

在本书中，书店是改变一切的重要象征。书店的存在首先让A. J.迎来了爱情的第二春。他与出版社销售代表阿米莉娅从初次相见的不欢而散，到四年后因阅读而产生火花，一步步相互了解，走近彼此，成为人生伴侣。小岛书店不仅改变了A. J.与阿米莉娅这对冤家的人生，同样也改变了岛上其他人的人生。可爱的玛雅是被丢弃在小岛书店的弃婴，“书店”对她而言就等同于“家”。即便随着她年岁渐长，书店不复是童年时她眼中那个大而神奇的所在，但她对书店和书依旧怀有深深的依恋之情。在A. J.的教育下，玛雅从小看的书就比同龄人多，书店不仅是其身体休憩之所，更是她心灵成长最重要的陪伴。阅读带来的思考让玛雅自然能将所思所想变成文字创作，得天独厚的才华离不开从小到大日复一日的阅读积累。阅读与写作对玛雅而言是生活乐趣的来源，更是未来人生方向的指引，让她心有所依，不再孤单。

对A. J.前妻的姐姐伊斯梅而言，书店是个令她又爱又恨的地方。一方面，她深爱的作家老公与去世的妹妹皆与书店息息相关。另一方面，书店对她而言又等同于“背叛”——不断出轨的老公与再也不会回来的妹妹带给她的都是至深的伤害。玛雅出现后，她不断去帮助A. J.照顾玛雅，被迫扮演“母亲”一角，明明一心想远离书店，却无奈始终徘徊其中。在这个令她纠结痛苦的过程中，伊斯梅从对人生充满怨念，到意外遇见另一段感情，从渴望逃离书店，到最终成为书店的守护者，这戏剧性的转变也给了伊斯梅的人生另一种更好的可能，让原本打定主意孤独终老的她有了不孤单的选择。

对警长兰比亚斯而言，书店是“陪伴”。警察的职业与书店看似毫无关联，然而看不太懂深奥文学书籍的他也有自己喜欢的阅读类型。A. J.眼里不入流的悬疑侦探小说给兰比亚斯乏味的生活带来不少乐趣，更让原本对一切都没有太多看法的兰比亚斯开始用独到的眼光发现生活中的光亮之处，慢慢建立起自信，敢于表达他对伊斯梅的仰慕之情。最终，这个与书店看似毫无关联的人通过书店和阅读找到了人生的乐趣，找到了挚爱的伴侣，并与伊斯梅一起成为书店最后的守护者。

在这个网络购书十分方便且电子阅读器日渐普及的时代，小岛书店的存在让人感触良多。A. J.过世的妻子妮可曾说：“一个地方如果没有一家书店，就算不上个地方了。”书店的存在不仅是为了卖书，对许多人而言，书店更是内心动荡时得以休憩安宁之所。想起念大学时，总喜欢在24小时开放的诚品书店待上一晚，同样晚睡或难以入睡的人们各自占据书店一角安静阅读，这种感觉与独自在家挑灯夜读的感觉完全不同，仿佛有一群频率相近的同伴，互不打扰，只是互相陪伴。餐厅养胃，书店养心，实体书店的存在怎么会不重要呢？

台湾作家林育涵曾说：“每个人都是孤岛，但在很深很深的海底，我们偷偷牵手。”在加布瑞埃拉·泽文的笔下，A. J.这个饱览群书、对自己的阅读品味充满优越感的书店老板宛如一座孤岛，而因为养女玛雅，孤岛开始在海底触碰其他的孤岛。为了让玛雅阅读，A. J.开始在书店引进一些他此前并不感兴趣的绘本;为了给玛雅更好的照顾，一向独来独往的他也开始与岛上的妈妈们攀谈，进她们爱看的书，吸取大家养儿育女的经验;他还办起各式各样的读书会，让不同的读者各取所需。透过与人的联结，A. J.原本如孤岛般冰冷的书店渐渐有了温度，最后成为小岛居民们情感交流的好地方。A. J.本人也从自私自利、自暴自弃的孤僻中年大叔成长为温暖体贴、懂得爱与被爱的好男人。没有人是一座孤岛。每一座孤岛都有不孤单的可能。当A. J.不再封闭自己，为了爱的人而付出，孤岛的书店便不再孤单，不完美的人生也因为满载的爱而有了更温暖的结局。