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The quirky premise of Carolyn Parkhurst's debut novel, The Dogs of Babel, is original enough: after his wife Lexy dies after falling from a tree, linguistics professor Paul Iverson becomes obsessed with teaching their dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Lorelei (the sole witness to the tragedy), to speak so he can find out the truth about Lexy's death--was it accidental or did Lexy commit suicide? In short, accelerating chapters Parkhurst alternates between Paul's strange and passionate efforts to get Lorelei to communicate and his heartfelt memories of his whirlwind relationship with Lexy. The first 100 pages or so bring to mind another noteworthy debut, Alice Sebold's brilliant exploration of grief, The Lovely Bones. Unfortunately, the second half of The Dogs of Babel takes too many odd twists and turns--everything from a Ms. Cleo-like TV psychic to an underground sect of abusive canine linguists--to ever allow the reader to feel any real sympathy for the main characters. Parkhurst's Paul Iverson can certainly be appealing at times, and his heartbreak is often quite palpable ("...for every dark moment we shared between us, there was a moment of such brightness I almost could not bear to look at it head-on.").But his mask-maker wife Lexy--Paul's driving inspiration--is a character whose spur-of-the-moment outbursts, spontaneous fits of anger, and supposedly charming sense of whimsy (on their first date, they drive from Virginia to Disney World, eating only appetizers and side dishes along the way), become so annoying and grating that it's hard to believe anyone could ever put up with her, let alone teach their dog to speak for her. Despite its cloying tone, The Dogs of Babel marks a notable debut. Parkhurst possesses a wealth of inspired ideas, and no doubt many readers will respond to the book, but one hopes that the author's future efforts will be packed with richer character development and less schmaltz. --Gisele Toueg

本书迅速以22种语言在世界各地出版，博得广大读者的热烈好评。美洲人评论说，这是“一个关于回忆、语言、悲伤和赎罪的故事，一次令人心碎的探寻！”欧洲人评论说：“这是一本罕见的小说，除了古老的神话、鬼魅的精灵所营造出的奇特氛围，还有心灵治疗、神秘塔罗牌……而当你随着主角一步步走向事情的真相时，更会感到一种椎心的痛楚”，亚洲人则评论说：“人人都以为和自己最亲近的人共有一座巴别塔，以为自己最了解那个亲近的人——然而，这座巴别塔真的存在吗？”

Carolyn Parkhurst holds an MFA in creative writing from American University. She has published fiction in the North American Review, the Minnesota Review, Hawai'i Review, and the Crescent Review. She lives in Washington, D. C., with her husband and their son. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

卡罗琳·帕克丝特，美国著名畅销书作家。本书以象征语言分野的“巴别塔”作为文字基调，伴随传说、魅影、哀伤情感的氛围，以及一路引人人胜的阅读趣味，让作品甫一出版，立刻压倒《追风筝的人》，登上亚马逊、《纽约时报》等各大畅销书排行榜榜首。