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"Oprah's Book Club(r) May 1999 Selection Astrid is the only child of a single mother, Ingrid, a brilliant, obsessed poet who wields her luminous beauty to intimidate and manipulate men. Astrid worships her mother and cherishes their private world full of ritual and mystery-but their idyll is shattered when Astrid's mother falls apart over a lover.Deranged by rejection, Ingrid murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison. White Oleander is the unforgettable story of Astrid's journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself in impossible circumstances. Each home is its own universe, with a new set of laws and lessons to be learned. With determination and humor, Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty, and strives to learn who a motherless child in an indifferent world can become. Tough, irrepressible, funny, and warm, Astrid is one of the most indelible characters in recent fiction. White Oleander is an unforgettable story of mothers and daughters, burgeoning sexuality, the redemptive powers of art, and the unstoppable force of the emergent self. Written with exquisite beauty and grace, this is a compelling debut by an author poised to join the ranks of today's most gifted novelists."

精彩摘录

她们想要的是真母亲，亲妈妈，伟大的子宫，富有强烈同情心的母亲，伟大得能够承担一切痛苦并把它带走的女人。我们需要的是流血流汗的母亲，深厚富饶如土地般的母亲，臀部丰满的母亲令人敬畏、身材魁梧、像柔软大沙发似的女人，循环流动着鲜血的母亲，是体魄庞大得足以让我们藏进去沉到底的母亲，是我们不能呼吸时会为我们呼吸的母亲，是能够为了我们而战斗，为了我们而杀戮，为了我们而捐躯的母亲。不要问我为什么离开。应该问我为什么回来。母亲，你想象你能够见到我吗？你所能看见的一切是镜子中你自己的脸。母亲，你问我是谁？我不是你。那就是你为什么希望我已经死去的原因。我不能单凭自己的愿望去重塑世界。我不知道该怎样去相信自己编造的谎言。那需要某种天才的本领。我知道我们不该来。现在我真希望她从来没有打破过她的任何一条规则。我明白了她为什么要如此严守那些规则。一旦你破坏了第一条规则，它们便会一条接一条地全线崩溃，就像7月4日独立日那天停车场里在你面前炸开的烟花一样。我想母亲和子女之间，朋友之间，家庭之间，这些人们认为永恒的事物之间的纽带是何其纤细脆弱。一切都可能会失去，比人们想象的要容易得多。...人们彼此失去，他们牵着的手在人群中松开滑脱了。

——引自第373页