2019年经济学人 美国代孕题材新小说:《农场》(2)

 

Golden Oaks lets Ms Ramos skewer¹ the pretences² of the wealthy and the businesses that cater³ to them. The author previously⁴ worked in finance (and for The Economist), and knows what money can buy. A chapter in which Jane’s older, wiser cousin Ate explains the art of high-end baby-nursing is winningly incisive:” They will tell you to ‘make yourself at home’—but they do not want you to make yourself at home!” Yet the book is too subtle to dwell in satire⁵; instead it becomes a suspenseful⁶ page-turner. Jane grows increasingly worried about her daughter’s welfare, just as readers learn of the sinister⁷ lengths to which Golden Oaks will go to serve its clients.

黄金橡让拉莫斯女士戳穿富人和迎合他们的商业的伪装。作者之前在金融领域工作(也为《经济学人》工作)，知道钱能买到什么。书中有一章，简的表姐阿特精明睿智地解释了高端婴儿护理的艺术，精辟入木三分：“他们会告诉你‘不要拘束’——但他们不希望你把这儿当成自己家!”然而，这本书太微妙，不能停留在讽刺之中；相反，它变成了一本悬疑的引人入胜的书。就在读者们了解到“黄金橡”将竭尽全力为客户服务的同时，简越来越担心女儿的安危。

Ms Ramos, whose own family emigrated from the Philippines to Wisconsin when she was six, tells her story through four main characters. As well as Jane and Ate (who came to America decades earlier to support her children back in the Philippines), she introduces Reagan, a young, white, soulfully rudderless graduate who becomes Jane’s roommate; and Mae Yu, a 30-something go-getter who runs Golden Oaks while planning her perfect wedding. It would have been easy to reduce these figures to archetypes, but Ms Ramos inhabits each one with affection, sensitivity and a keen ear for voice. Together, these women tell a story of an America in which “you must be strong or young if you are not rich.”

拉莫斯的家人在她六岁时从菲律宾移民到了威斯康星州，她通过四个主要角色讲述了自己的故事。除了简和阿特(简和阿特几十年前来到美国，在菲律宾抚养她的孩子)，她还介绍了里根，一个年轻、白人、没有灵魂、迷茫的毕业生，后来成了简的室友；还有30多岁的余美，一个积极进取的人，一边经营着黄金橡，一边策划着自己完美的婚礼。将这些人物简化为原型本是件容易的事，但拉莫斯女士对每个人都充满了感情、同理心和倾听心声的欲望。这些女性共同讲述了一个美国的故事，在这个故事中，“如果你不富有，你要么强壮，要么年轻。”

1 skewer   

n.（烤肉用的）串肉杆；v.用杆串好

参考例句：

• I used a skewer to make an extra hole in my belt.我用扦子在腰带上又打了一个眼儿。
• He skewered his victim through the neck.他用扦子刺穿了受害人的脖子。

2 pretences   

n.假装( pretence的名词复数 )；作假；自命；自称

参考例句：

• You've brought your old friends out here under false pretences. 你用虚假的名义把你的那些狐朋狗党带到这里来。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• There are no pretences about him. 他一点不虚伪。 来自辞典例句

3 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

6 suspenseful   

adj.悬疑的，令人紧张的

参考例句：

• If his experiences then had been carefully recorded, it would undoubtedly have made a suspenseful and moving book. 若是把他所经历的事实记录下来，那就是一部充满着大智大勇，惊心动魄的小说。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lily is an atmospheric and suspenseful tale of love, loss and obsession. 这是一个关于爱情、失落与迷恋的故事，充满情调与悬疑色彩。 来自互联网

7 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。