2. Nick Laird, Modern Gods
《當(dāng)代諸神》尼克?萊爾德

Laird's intimate and searing look at the aftereffects of violent conflict and religious fanaticism, revolves around two sisters facing personal crises. Liz, a New York-based academic, is preparing to travel to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea to make a BBC documentary about Belef, the charismatic woman leader of a cargo cult. But first she's back in her hometown of Ballyglass in Northern Ireland, for her sister Alison's second wedding. Before the honeymoon begins a newspaper headline reveals Alison's new husband's past as a member of the Ulster Freedom Fighters involved in a pub massacre. And now she is morally implicated. Half a globe away, Liz is drawn into Belef's rituals, with tragic consequences. Finely etched, impeccably structured, Modern Gods has the enduring echoes of a classic. (Credit: Viking)
萊爾德圍繞著兩姐妹身上發(fā)生的危機(jī)，近距離審視了暴力沖突和宗教狂熱帶來的惡果。利茲是來自紐約的學(xué)者，她準(zhǔn)備前往巴布亞新幾內(nèi)亞的熱帶雨林為BBC制作一部關(guān)于魅力超凡的貨物崇拜運(yùn)動(dòng)女領(lǐng)袖比利芙的紀(jì)錄片。但是，利茲要先返回家鄉(xiāng)巴利格拉斯——位于北愛爾蘭的一個(gè)小村落，參加姐妹艾莉森的第二次婚禮。艾莉森開始度蜜月之前，一家報(bào)紙的頭條新聞曝光了其新婚丈夫的過往，他曾是阿爾斯特自由戰(zhàn)士組織的成員，這個(gè)組織與一起酒吧大屠殺有關(guān)。于是現(xiàn)在艾莉森也被牽連其中，遭到道德批判。而在地球的另一端，利茲被比利芙的宗教儀式所吸引，最終引禍上身。《當(dāng)代諸神》文筆細(xì)膩，結(jié)構(gòu)縝密，是一部耐人尋味的經(jīng)典之作。（來源：維京出版社）