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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

卡罗琳·帕克丝特，美国著名畅销书作家。毕业于美利坚大学创作研究所。大学毕业后，曾经在书店工作三年，而后才全心投入创作。她的作品散见于《北美评论》、《明尼苏达评论》、《夏威夷评论》、《新月评论》。《巴别塔之犬》是她正式出版的第一部小说，甫一出版即引起热烈回响，有书评家说她具有强烈的阿言德风格：雾气浓重的鬼魅深夜、古老的民间传说、给予人如梦般的阅读历程；更有书评家赞许她是美国新生代作家之中最耀眼的一位。卡罗琳．帕克斯特现今与丈夫及儿子住在华盛顿特区，第二本小说Lost & Found也已经在美出版。

何致和，1967年生于台北。文化大学英文系，东华大学创作与英语文学研究所毕业。短篇小说曾获联合报文学奖、宝岛小说奖、教育部文艺创作奖。着有小说集《失去夜的那一夜》、长篇小说《白色城市的忧郁》。另有《酸臭之屋》、《恶梦工厂》、《时间线》、《人骨拼图》、《战争魔术师》等十余部译作。目前正于辅仁大学比较文学研究所攻读博士学位。