They Both Die at the End. By Adam Silvera.

(Amazon 連結)

#LGBTQ_fiction

#生命教育

#booktok暢銷書

They both die at the end. By Adam Silvera.

(Reading level: about V)

如果未來裡有個機構能做精準的死亡預測，在任何人只剩24小時生命時，會打電話通知他，讓人能做好心理準備再死，你會希望活在這樣的未來嗎?

住在紐約市原本相互不認識的兩個青少年，17歲的Rufus 跟18歲的Mateo，在某天的半夜分別接到死亡通知機構 (Death-Cast) 的電話，告知他們，他們的生命將在24小時之內結束。

幾個月前才失去家人目前住在寄養家庭的 Rufus，以及出生時媽媽就去世、爸爸兩周前剛突發腦梗陷入昏迷的 Mateo，兩人都在人生低潮而以為人生很難再更糟的時候，接到了這個告知自己生命盡頭將至的死亡宣言。茫然的兩人不約而同地下載了為將死之人（Deckers) 所發明的手機交友軟體 Last Friend 而認識彼此，一起攜手度過了人生最後的二十幾個小時….

在這二十幾個小時內，與最愛的親友告別、面對自己的害怕與過去、做自己想而不敢的挑戰…

這本書在2018年發表時，名列暢銷書排行榜數週，後來掉出榜單。但最近因為#booktok 的盛行，再度受到廣大的關注，從2020年秋天開始再度進到紐約時報青少年暢銷書的前幾名，並一直蟬聯至今。跟他一樣類似情況的小說還有前陣子介紹的 "We were liars".

這本書是目前我看的三本 booktok 暢銷書裡，我最喜歡的一本。它雖然問了一個永恆不墜的老問題：「如果明天就是我的末日，我要怎麼度過今天？」，但它卻獨辟蹊徑，讓有著無限可能的18歲青少年們來尋找自己的答案….

再來，它明目張膽地大聲宣告這本書的結局:主角都在最後死了! 告訴你，這本書的兩個主角可沒有主角威能，不會有個幸福幸運的結局。讓你一邊好奇他們會在人生中最後的珍貴時刻，做了甚麼，經歷甚麼，了結甚麼，頓悟甚麼；讓你一邊認識他們，同理他們，慟他們所痛，愛他們所戀，希望他們能再有更多的未來，卻又同時知道你終究將失去他們.....

但看似悲劇的結局，卻傳達出非常入世的價值觀:

We all die at the end. But what matters is "how did we live?".

如果人終將一死，那人與人之間的區別，將是我們如何度完我們這一生.....

給父母的小提醒：

這本書內容有不少S-word，也有一點點F-word，畢竟裡面的主角之一 Rufus 是比較衝動性格的青少年男生，自然比較容易有這些話語出現。另外，這本小說也有LGBT+的內容，我個人不覺得是問題，但還是得讓家長知悉。

八年級的小米也覺得這本書的題材很特別，作者文筆流暢很能打動讀者的內心，代入感很強，她覺得七年級以上應該就夠成熟能看了。我自己則覺得等八年級以上比較好，就由家長們自己定奪囉。

The Selection. By Kiera Cass.

 

#青少女浪漫小說

#有中文譯本

#booktok暢銷書

The selection. (And The Selection Books) By Kiera Cass.

（Reading level: Lexile® Measure: HL680L; Guided reading level: Z ）

這本書是五本系列書的第一本，這系列是目前超多青少女為之風靡的熱門書籍之一，Netflix 已計畫將這系列改編成影集，預計2022-2023左右上映，所以我忍不住也好奇借來看看。

這故事其實很簡單: 在奉行世襲階級制度的未來王國裡，一個階級不高的16歲青少女 America Singer，因為個人的感情受挫跟家庭的期待下，參與了 “The Selection”競選：35個從全國被選出的佳麗，得住到皇宮裡，讓 Prince Maxon 自由互動後，篩選出 "The One" 作為他的王妃。最後勝選的女孩，全家人也將雞犬升天，晉升到社會最高階級.....

被動參加的女主角 America，帶著另有所屬的芳心，將會跟 Prince Maxon 有甚麼互動與發展呢?

這故事線，簡單地說就是 Cinderella 的老哏，再加上類似美國實境節目" The Bachelor" 影集的綜合...如果把它比之於電視劇，應該立馬就會被分類為「戀愛甜寵劇」。

這小說我一邊讀一邊白眼都要翻到後腦勺了.....

翻白眼並不是我討厭戀愛甜寵劇喔! 我個人也是常邊看甜寵劇邊洗碗煮飯的，畢竟，甜寵劇對女生來說，就像偶而吃吃的甜點，平時娛樂一下，何妨?但是，甜點千百種，不是每一種都對自己的味。如果主角沒眼緣，人物三觀跟你不合，該劇情設定不買單，男女主角的火花不打動你等，就很難看得下去.....

首先，The Selection 的故事背景設定，讓我覺得莫名其妙。一個未來的世界，人們選擇的是重新建立一個古老的階級制度(把人分八類，還世襲?)，而女生只能靠婚姻才能換階級 (換成跟老公一樣的階級)？？

再者，王室為了要展示自己的"親民"，所以向各階級們招親? 這些女生們，集中在一起努力表現，就希望自己靠王子的青睞"存活"到最後階段?? 過程中被刪掉的女孩們，也因為聲名大噪(就像"選秀節目"一樣，可以號稱自己是前35強)，一回家鄉，立馬就會有媒人上門，幫你嫁個好人家!

這故事如果是中古時代，或者是女主角穿越到古代之類的，我也就不計較了。但為什麼在未來第三世界大戰(美中之戰)後，新建立的國家這麼地貶低女性啊??? 太莫名其妙了.....

然後女主角做許多決定前的猶疑不定與三心二意也讓我不耐。裡面那個未來將統治這個充滿內憂外患國家的男主角，其故事形象居然只有溫和、善良與紳士???

雖然認真把第一本看完了，但我因個人口味因素，實在是太難寫出比較中肯的書評。畢竟我小時候還能了解瓊瑤小說為什麼受歡迎，但現在變老阿姨再看瓊瑤小說，就只能一直找碴。

所以我決定凹青少女小米來寫這篇書評....說到底，還是青少女比較能了解這系列為什麼能得青少女的心...

大家也別因為我以上的吐槽就把這本書劃大叉，其實它故事的節奏寫得很好，娛樂性很高，所以Amazon上有超過一萬筆評價，平均4.6顆星! 若家有12歲以上的青少女們，跟我一樣不排斥"甜寵劇"的家長們(誰?)，還是可以考慮讓她們看看。或者，至少青少女們在看這系列時，家長可大概知道她們在看啥 (對了，這系列因為很受歡迎，所以有中文譯本喔，但譯名我是有點無言啦，叫[決戰王妃])

以下，是小米的book review:

The Selection, by Kiera Cass, is a YA/Romance novel that takes place in the future. The Selection is actually a series of books, consisting of 5 novels (The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir, and The Crown). The first book follows a sixteen-year-old girl named America Singer as she gets swept up into a whole new world that she’s never seen before.

The story takes place in a new country called Illea. Illea has a social pyramid that differs from other countries. It is called the castes. There are eight castes (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Eight), with One being the royal family and Eight being homeless. You are birthed into a caste, and can only escape from your caste by marriage. The woman joins the man’s caste. In the Selection, America Singer, the main character, is a Five. She and her family get by barely, but still have to give up a lot of luxuries. America has a boyfriend named Aspen, who is a Six. America knows her mother wants her children to move up a caste, so she definitely wouldn’t approve of America and Aspen. So, America and Aspen meet in secret. This is the background of the story.

America lives happily with her family, and she wouldn’t change a thing. However, something happens that throws everything off balance. There is an event called the “Selection”, where 35 random girls from ages 16 - 20 in the kingdom get selected to go live in the palace and woo the heart of the Prince, Maxon. Maxon will slowly eliminate girls until he is left with just one, and that girl and Maxon will get married. Then, the girl’s family will all become “One”s, and the girl would be Queen. When America’s mom finds out about this, she is almost bursting with excitement, since America is just old enough to register. But America doesn’t want to go, since she is happy with her love, Aspen, right now. America’s mom bribes her with many offers, then finally gets America to agree to one of them. America happily agrees, knowing that the odds of her being chosen are extremely low, and that the deal would definitely help her future marriage with Aspen. However, after she registers, Aspen breaks up with her. She then finds out that she has been selected. A heartbroken America gets thrown into the Selection, competing for a crown she doesn’t even want. As she ventures into this new, unknown world, she begins to make friends and enemies. When she meets the prince for the first time, he surprises her. He’s not the stuck-up, snobby jerk she thought he was. Will the Prince slowly worm his way into her heart? And when America begins to uncover dark secrets about her country, how would she survive?

I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It had a few flaws in its setting, since the setting is extremely sexist against women. Since, this was in the future, you would expect that it would be ahead of our time, where sexism is frowned upon, and there’s no monarchy. I feel like they could have placed this in an A.U. (alternate universe) rather than in the future. Even with this flaw in the setting, I still wasn’t able to put it down. Kiera Cass has a way with words, stringing them together so that they pull you along, breathlessly waiting for the next turn. Before you know it, you’re done, and you immediately pick up the second book. I recommend this book for ages 13 and up, because it does have some mature topics involved, and for anyone who enjoys romance novels.