看Louise Penny學英文：A Rule Against Murder （上）

A Rule Against Murder是我看的第四本Louise Penny小說。這故事較像傳統的偵探小說－－在一間位於郊野的渡假莊園內（封閉空間），有一家來渡假的富裕人家的家庭成員被殺。她是被已逝父親的紀念雕像壓死的。究竟誰是兇手？雕像這麼重，究竟用什麼方法可以令它倒下？殺人動機又是什麼？

設計謀殺方法不是Louise Penny的強項，第一本的弓箭殺人不夠有趣；第二本的設計有趣，但執行方法過於複雜花巧，難以令人入信；第三本的藥物殺人寫得最好；而這一本與第二本的謀殺方法一樣，雖然有趣，但難以令人入信。而且作者犯了一個大忌－－沒有講清楚謀殺案是如何進行的。基本如兇手怎樣引受害人到雕像前都沒有提及。而且兇手的殺人動機不夠強，沒什麼說服力。殺人可是有機會被發現，是要付很大代價的。一件過去多年的仇怨，真的值得報復嗎？最離譜是，仇根本沒有直接報在要報的人身上！如果要洩憤，沒理由過了多年才洩啊！

雖然如此，Louise Penny的小說仍有她的吸引之處。如之前的博文所說，她塑造人物的功力強勁，擅於透過細節描寫人物。這個故事裡的一個dysfunctional family，真是有夠變態的。她喜愛文學和藝術，將之滲入故事中；在此書中，便講述了羅丹的作品「加萊義民」的故事。她的文筆優美，有幽默感，很多句子令我回味再三。還有，她筆下的魁北克美得像世外桃園，仿佛帶讀者去旅遊。這些強項蓋過她的弱項，為她帶來一班忠實粉絲。

好了，又到摘錄句子的時間了！

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

－She’d chewed the insult over, torn it apart and swallowed it. The insult was part of her now.

－“You?” “Great.” They’d trimmed the language to its essentials. Before long it would just be consonants. Then silence.
講不擅溝通的一家人，大家的對話愈來愈短。

－Her eyes darted here and there, assessing portions, watching the weaving waiters, monitoring who got what when and how it compared to hers.

這種乞人憎的上等人，你一定遇到過。

－The Morrows seemed to believe there was a special code that allowed them to say what they liked about others, deliberately within their hearing, without its being discourteous. “Isn’t that the ugliest baby you’ve ever seen?” “You shouldn’t wear white if you’re fat.” “She’d be prettier if she didn’t scowl all the time.”

這種人你也一定遇過！

－The Morrows could be counted on to choose the right fork and the wrong word. Their comments were always casual. And when confronted they’d look hurt, offended, perplexed. How often had Clara apologized for being insulted?
有些人就是會肆意攻擊人，之後還要一臉無辜。

－“He’s the original recycler,” agreed Peter. “He collects conversations and events then uses them years later, against you. Recycle, retaliate, repulse. Nothing’s ever wasted with our Thomas.”

是有這種人，記性很好，將不好的事記著多年，然後有天拿出來攻擊你。我認識一位這樣的人。

－Her tragedy was that she always found men to save her. She never had to save herself. She never knew she could.”

－There was an ease about him. He was an adult, she realized. Not a child in adult’s clothing, like so many people she knew. This man was mature. It was relaxing to be around him.
好精警！

－With each savage stroke of her make-up, Irene Finney filled the void with a child not loved then lost, but first lost, then loved.
孩子死後，母親才能愛她。

－That was what the void had coughed up. A dead daughter. But a beloved one. Finally. Someone safe to love. Dead, true. But you can’t have everything.
孩子死後才不是頂心杉，突然變了乖孩子。

－Morrows ran and hid in smiling cynicism and dark sarcasm. This man stood his ground.

－Vacillating between being impertinent and being obsequious.
有人懂得譯嗎？

－They might murder, but they’d never litter.
哈哈！

－“And you shit on us because all we want from Mother is her money. We at least ask for something she can give,” said Marianna.
索取父母的錢還可以接受，索取父母的愛卻是貪心，因為這位母親不懂得去愛......　

－“I wrote the graffiti. God, I can’t believe what I did, all because of a stupid game. Something that just came out of Julia’s mouth. She probably didn’t even mean it. It was nothing. Nothing.” “It almost always is,” said Gamache. “So small no one else even sees it. So small you don’t see it coming, until it smashes into you.”
一個人的無心說話，也可以令你受傷。你最初看輕它，不過是一句話吧！你以為"sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"，但其實那句話像隕石飛墜一樣，最終會擊中你。