[Reading Notes] From Changhua back to Berlin's Ghostly Summer Broken Trilogy Final Chapter - "The Good Guy Upstairs"

The mother told them that the guests who came upstairs were all good people. (abbreviated)

The good man followed his mother upstairs, and the three children knew they had to avoid it. Don't avoid it for a long time, sometimes it's all right at once. All at once, mothers will receive a wad of cash and their lives will be better.

From Berlin to Yongjing, going around Florida in the United States, and returning to Berlin from Lin, an important economic city in South Changhua, writer Chen Sihong started his "Summer Broken Trilogy" in 2019, and finally draws an end in 2022. Although it is also wrapped in the complexity of human nature, the absurdity of real society, and the shocking events that have been sealed over time and cannot be easily spied on by outsiders, the final chapter of the trilogy, "The Good Man Upstairs", seems to convey the meaning that the novel can carry. , which goes a little deeper.

The plot arrangement of "The Good Man Upstairs" seems to be a mirror reflection of the first "Ghost Place". Except that most of the content focuses on the experience and memories of "eldest sister", the path of movement also turns to change from Changhua Yuanlin , came to Berlin, Germany. In order to escape from the entanglement of the underworld, "Yuan Lin's Last Old Maid" visited the younger brother whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and finally realized that what he really wanted to escape was actually his past self.

The "Upstairs" of Ghost Shadows, Chen Sihong re-writes the fable of family adulthood

Although it is no longer "Ghost Place", just like the characteristics of the trilogy series, the chapters of "The Good Man Upstairs" are still full of ghosts, and the ghost named "Past" haunts the sister and brother, and even passes away. Her mother, who also seemed to be possessed by the relic "Golden Notebook", followed her to Berlin. Memories cannot be discarded, and forgetting is just a lie, because the mother's choice has brought huge psychological trauma to the two, and after all, a real dialogue can be resolved. However, how difficult it is to have a conversation. Compared with the language barrier, which can be mediated through a translator, the familiar family members are full of thousands of words, but even the greetings are superfluous.

In addition to having a large number of inner monologues, just like the writing style of "Ghost Place", the author once again made the characters' stories become a viewing window of the history of the rise and fall of the city through the memories of the eldest sister, and wrote the geographical changes of Yuan Lin. As for the sharp use of words, a large number of clever translations and anthropomorphism ("Time is too hot", "Bento fell into a tragedy on the asphalt road"), and the dramatic effect produced by the use of text stacking ("Popcorn Salt Crispy Chicken Stinky Tofu Duck") Tongue Braised Chicken Wings”), it’s even harder not to get caught up in the work.

Furthermore, the sense of space in "The Good Man Upstairs" is even stronger. Whether it is Yuanlin or Berlin, the space between "upstairs" and "downstairs" is not just a ceiling, but a borderline existence. Distinguish between good/bad, visible/shameful. In the book, the scenes of Yuan Lin and Berlin's repeated confrontations also add to the poetry of reading.

"Every movie in The Good Man Upstairs has a lot to do with the progression of the novel's plot."

Using the novel as a lead stimulates readers to trace back to more texts

As the author said in an exclusive interview, in this novel that hides a huge mystery, in addition to occasional clues, the movie is a big hint. Including "New Paradise", "Sophia's Choice", etc., for Chen Sihong, they are like extended reading of "The Good Man Upstairs", and after watching the plot of the movie, readers can finally understand them. So the reason and meaning of appearing in the novel.

As the final chapter of the trilogy, "The Good Guy Upstairs" gives the series a complete ending in terms of plot planning and content. In addition to the above ingenuity, the author also uses this story about the "good guy" , sharply pointed out many social issues in Taiwan.

From the beginning of "Ghost Place" to the end of "The Good Guy Upstairs", there is a feeling that the comics are coming to the finale. With the climax of the trilogy, a lot of things have happened internationally during the period from 2019 to 2022. , and these works may be like the bowl of instant noodles in the story, as if the author is comforting the surviving readers: "After eating the instant noodles, you will be fine."

Although the trilogy is over, at the new book sharing meeting last week, the author also announced a new writing plan. Readers who like Chen Sihong may wish to look forward to it with the author.

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