名著阅读

"She's a fine-looking young lady," said Paul D. "Fine-looking.
Got her daddy's sweet face.""You know my father?""Knew him. Knew him well.""Did he, Ma'am?" Denver fought an urge to realign her affection.
"Of course he knew your daddy. I told you, he's from Sweet Home."
Denver sat down on the bottom step. There was nowhere else gracefully to go. They were atwosome, saying "Your daddy" and "Sweet Home" in a way that made it clear both belongedtothem and not to her. That her own father's absence was not hers. Once the absence had belonged toGrandma Baby — a son, deeply mourned because he was the one who had boughther out of there. Then it was her mother's absent husband. Now it was this hazelnut stranger's absent friend. Onlythose who knew him ("knew him well") could claim his absencefor themselves. Just as only thosewho lived in Sweet Home could remember it, whisper it and glance sideways at one another whilethey did. Again she wished for the baby ghost —its anger thrilling her now where it used to wearher out. Wear her out.
"We have a ghost in here," she said, and it worked. They were not a twosome anymore. Hermother left off swinging her feet and being girlish. Memory of Sweet Home droppedaway fromthe eyes of the man she was being girlish for. He looked quickly up the lightning-white stairsbehind her.
"So I hear," he said. "But sad, your mama said. Not evil.""No sir," said Denver, "not evil. But not sad either.""What then?""Rebuked. Lonely and rebuked.""Is that right?"Paul D turned to Sethe.
"她是个好看的姑娘，"保罗·D说，"好看。脸蛋像她爹一样甜。"
"你认识我爸爸？" "认识。相当认识。" "是吗，太太？"丹芙尽量避免油然而生的好感。
"他当然认识你的爸爸。我不是跟你说了吗，他是-甜蜜之家-的人。"
丹芙在最低一磴楼梯上坐下。再没有别的地方好去了。他们成了一对，说着什么"你的爸爸"和"甜蜜之家"，用的全是那种显然属于他们而不属于她的方式。就是说，她自己父亲的失踪不关她的事。失踪首先是属于贝比奶奶的——一个儿子，被深切地哀悼着，因为是他把她从那里赎出来的。其次，他是妈妈失踪的丈夫。现在他又是这个榛色陌生人的失踪的朋友。只有那些认识他的人（"相当认识"）有权利说起他的失踪。就好像只有那些住在"甜蜜之家"的人才能记得他，悄声谈起他，一边说一边互相用眼角交换目光。她又一次盼望那个小鬼魂——它那现在令她兴奋的愤怒，曾经让她疲惫不堪。让她疲惫不堪。
她说道："我们这儿有个鬼。"这句话立即起了作用。他们不再是一对了。她妈妈不再悠着脚作女孩状了。对"甜蜜之家"的记忆从她为之作女孩状的男人眼中一滴一滴漏走。他猛抬头，瞥了一眼她身后明亮的白楼梯。
"我听说了，"他说，"可那是悲伤，你妈妈说的。不是邪恶。" "不，先生，"丹芙道，"不是邪恶，可也不是悲伤。" "那是什么呢？" "冤屈。孤独和冤屈。" "是这样吗？"保罗·D转头问塞丝。
背景阅读

本书简介：

《宠儿》是托妮·莫里森最震撼人心、最成熟的代表作，现已经成为当代文学史上不朽的经典，也是美国文学史上最畅销的作品之一。小说完成于1987年，1988年即获得美国普利策小说奖。2006年《纽约时报》召集125位知名作家、评论家、编辑及文坛泰斗等选出自己心目中“25年来最佳美国小说”，《宠儿》得票最高，名列第一。

“你的爱太浓了！”——一个不可能重复的故事！！！
女黑奴塞丝怀着身孕只身从肯塔基的奴隶庄园逃到俄亥俄，奴隶主循踪追至；为了使儿女不再重复自己做奴隶的悲惨命运，她毅然杀死了自己刚刚会爬的幼女宠儿……十八年后宠儿还魂重返人间，和塞丝、塞丝的女儿丹芙以及塞丝的情人保罗•D生活在同一幢房子里。她不但加倍地向母亲索取着爱，甚至纠缠和引诱保罗•D，不择手段地扰乱和摧毁母亲刚刚回暖的生活……全书充满苦涩的诗意和紧张的悬念。

作者简介：

托妮·莫里森，美国当代最重要的女作家之一。1931年生于美国俄亥俄州，曾担任兰登书屋编辑、资深编辑，1989年起任普林斯顿大学教授。主要代表作有《最蓝的眼睛》、《秀拉》、《所罗门之歌》、《宠儿》、《爵士乐》、《天堂》等，曾获美国普利策小说奖、美国图书评论协会奖等多项大奖。1993年获诺贝尔文学奖，是历史上得此殊荣的唯一黑人女作家。