John Cheever's "Tell Me Who He Is"

Translated by Yu Guofang, Trojan Literature, 2019, 9789863597056

This book was recommended by a (true) Wen Qing friend of mine, who said it was a reading for him when he was commuting to work. As expected of a literary youth, he did not forget to read classic literature while commuting.

But I had never actually heard the name John Cheever before. So I'll go to the blog to see the introduction first, to determine if it's a style I like.

As a result, the following sentence came into view, and I was instantly hooked:

"The storm has not yet begun, and everything in front of us is standing firmly in the haze, like the tenderness of dawn, as if we should be asleep and dreaming at this moment, rather than bringing bad news." the thief>

Although, this kind of situation can be simply put together with a trite adjective: the calm before the storm.

But it is more refined and more apt than this sentence.

It speaks of the calm and dreamlike sweetness that preceded the storm. Under the oncoming storm, you recall the fleeting peace that was so beautiful and peaceful, so unreal that it was like a dream.

so amazing.

He is worthy of being hailed as the greatest novelist of the twentieth century since Hemingway.

Every short story written by Ziffer seems to show the exquisite little gardens of the prosperous middle-class American life after World War II. With his magnifying glass, he will take you into every happy and happy family as if nothing had happened. But this is not the gossip and peeping of the three aunts and six women in the vegetable market. On the contrary, his descriptions seem to be gentle and calm, but there is a hint of sharp insight and ridicule.

不論是玩弄秘書又解僱她的膽小鬼、毫無根據地揍了（疑似）情夫的男人、保守抗拒一切改變與知識的中產階級社區、深夜裡偷偷烤蛋糕懷念母親的硬漢、一心希望鄰人悲慘的第The one who described it, a man who ran away because he almost killed his child, was still a country husband who thought he was in love with a girl.

The happiness and (they claim to uphold) morality of these families in Ziffer's writings seem so fragile in this even tone. Just like Ziffer's fictional community name: Shady Hill. The hill of shadows beneath the brilliance.

"He suddenly had a feeling that he and the large group of people around him were the same raccoon dog. They were panicking, maybe because of selfishness or bad luck, and they couldn't be like their parents, who abide by the maintenance of society and continuous discipline. Form. They can't do it themselves, and instead impose the burden on the children, so that the children's lives are filled with so many pompous ceremonies and rituals." "St. James's School Bus"

"I can't help but ask why, in such a prosperous, fair, and brilliant world, where even the cleaning ladies play Chopin Preludes in their spare time, why does everyone seem so disappointed." die>

"Everyone is working hard for a monogamous marriage, a carefree childhood, and a family's happiness, but this is too much like a dream with little connotation, not deep enough." "The Death of Justina"

What's more interesting to me, though, is that the time-space setting that supports these stories should be post-World War II America. But even if you turn your attention to the present, in an age where social media is constantly rebroadcasting you and how all the people you know or don’t know are glamorous, you can still see every now and then, like Ziffer, dragging behind each character. The long shadow of narcissism, dilapidation, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, depravity, superficiality. The shirt that seems to be inappropriate and rustic, always shows up to greet someone when people turn around.

I would have also (unexpectedly) recommended it to a friend who is only partial to fantasy literature. As soon as he opened the book, he couldn't stop and kept reading. After reading it, he praised me that Chifu is really good at describing and amazing. It seems that he is only describing some details of daily life, but it makes you feel inexplicably related, and you constantly want to ask him, "Then what? Then what happened to them?"

Yeah, what's going on?

So, if you ask me: is this book good?

I think my reaction will still be so mixed:

"Good-looking, right? It's amazing, it'll make you want to read it all the time, and then smile at some hint or sarcasm hidden in the words. But I can tell you for sure that Zephyr is a great I will write!"

This book is the second in a series of Chiver's anthologies, with the first being "Divorce Season" and the third being "Reunion."

I think I should go and finish the remaining two books!

Overall rating: 4.9 points★★★★★

(Honestly I can't really fault it, but I'll keep it)

It is very suitable for friends who want to use their spare time to savor literature and life carefully.