R1172. The Troubled Man (Kurt Wallander #10)。Henning Mankell。Random House。2011。367頁。13/06/27-13/07/12。
Wallander的女兒Linda和在金融界工作的男友生了一個女兒，Klara。就在Linda未來公公舉行過慶祝七十大壽的盛大宴會後沒多久，這位前海軍高級將領，Hökan vo Enke，在例行的晨間出門散步後，就此失蹤。在Linda的要求下，Wallander利用自己的休假時間介入調查。
整個案件在訪談多位Hökan vo Enke的朋友後，發現似乎牽扯到20年前的一樁潛水艇間諜案。毫無頭緒的Wallander身在謎團中，案情卻因Hökan vo Enke的妻子也從住家無徵兆地失蹤，之後被發現死在人跡險至的荒原而更顯複雜。所有的資訊指向冷戰期間的間諜案─Hökan vo Enke的妻子是蘇聯間諜。
Wallander本能地覺得疑點仍在，再經過一番推理，找到躲在無人小島上的Hökan vo Enke，又根據線索和美國CIA在前東德的負責人接觸後，Wallander終於擺脫所有錯誤的導向，釐清故布疑陣的謊言，還原一個不能說的陳年秘密。
這是一個冷戰時期的間諜案，沒有錯，但出賣國家軍事機密的不是替蘇聯工作的Hökan vo Enke的妻子，反而是替美國當間諜的Hökan vo Enke本人。
這是Wallander系列的最後一本書，內容還是不改作者對政治、歷史的關懷，長篇大論回到八零年代錯綜複雜的瑞典政壇政爭、美蘇角力的國際情勢，感覺上反而對「案件」本身的細節多數交代不清，例如，為何Hökan vo Enke突然離家搞失蹤，到底是發現有甚麼威脅逼近？他是靠誰的幫助躲在小島上？之後有甚麼打算？又，Hökan vo Enke的妻子是怎麼從家中不見的，是被擄走、騙走還是……？又是誰殺了她？
總之，厚厚一本書看下來，這個案子的重要性越來越薄弱，最後作者甚至安排Hökan vo Enke被跟Wallander同去的Hökan vo Enke好朋友一槍打死，然後自己在自殺來做了結。搞半天，通通死了，所有的疑團都不用解釋了，省了麻煩。
所以我覺得，這書的最終目的只是要把Wallander給「完結」。書中的Wallander已經六十歲，作者不停強調他的衰老，讓他跟以前的事情聯結或者了結──他的前妻感情再次觸礁，成為需要治療的酗酒者；十五年前求婚被拒的拉脫維亞情人Baiba又再次出現，此時她已經癌症末期，重聚的目地是作番生命的最後巡禮。Wallander還是常回顧以往，糖尿病越來越嚴重，記憶常出現空白……
最後，
The shadow grew more
intense. And Kurt Wallander slowly descended into a darkness that some years
later transported him into the empty universe known as Alzheimer’s disease.
intense. And Kurt Wallander slowly descended into a darkness that some years
later transported him into the empty universe known as Alzheimer’s disease.
After thea there is nothing
more. The story of Kurt Wallander is finished, once and for all. The
years---ten, perhaps more---he has left to live are his own. Linda’s, his and
Klara’s; nobody else’s. (p.367)
more. The story of Kurt Wallander is finished, once and for all. The
years---ten, perhaps more---he has left to live are his own. Linda’s, his and
Klara’s; nobody else’s. (p.367)
後來我看過訪談，完全同意記者所寫，Henning Mankell一點也不喜歡Kurt Wallander。他讓他終其一生的孤獨，最後還讓他得了阿茲海默症。作者一直想要擺脫Wallander，然後在這系列的最後一本書，他終於辦到了。
There was no going back in
life, even if he were naive enough to wish that was possible. It was not
possible to take even one step backward. (p.148)
life, even if he were naive enough to wish that was possible. It was not
possible to take even one step backward. (p.148)
A tired old heart, still
beating away; but my dark night is somebody's day. (p.225)
beating away; but my dark night is somebody's day. (p.225)
我開始想，為何會喜歡這系列的書呢？早好多年前其實就已經開始看了，那時只覺得跟一般美國作家寫的風格很不一樣，但有些描述似乎跟「正題」沒啥大關係，有點囉嗦，但還不至於看不下去。但最近這兩年，突然就又看了起來，而且還覺得一路看一路感傷。真的是年紀的緣故，還有一些兒…經歷的關係？
Wallander寫Baiba拜訪那段最讓我難過。Wallander打電話叫女兒來見Baiba是件很貼心的舉動，而Baiba的衰弱讓人幾乎看不下去，相聚幾天和無數的交談後，Baiba在一個清晨不告而別，在花園的一顆石頭下壓著一張他倆在1991年5月時的唯一合照，和一張只畫了一顆心的紙。Wallander都發動了車子了，但他知道Baiba並不會要他這樣追上去。於是──
He went out into the
garden, got the ladder the chimney sweep always used, and climbed up onto the
roof with a pair of binoculars in his hand. He could see the white ferry
heading for Poland. A large part of the most important and happiest time in his
life was on board and would never return. He felt a combination of sorrow and
pain that he had difficulty coping with.
garden, got the ladder the chimney sweep always used, and climbed up onto the
roof with a pair of binoculars in his hand. He could see the white ferry
heading for Poland. A large part of the most important and happiest time in his
life was on board and would never return. He felt a combination of sorrow and
pain that he had difficulty coping with.
He was still on the roof
when the garbage truck arrived. But the man who collected the bags of trash
didn’t notice Wallander, perched up there like a crow.
when the garbage truck arrived. But the man who collected the bags of trash
didn’t notice Wallander, perched up there like a crow.
如果我像Baiba即將面臨人生終點，會特別想見什麼人嗎？
突然，開始在心中列清單……
沒有留言:
張貼留言