Jean-Louis Fournier did not expect to have a disabled child. He certainly did not expect to have two. But that is precisely what happened to this wry French humorist, and his attempts to live and cope with his Mathieu and Thomas, both facing extremely debilitating physical and mental challenges, is the subject of this brave and heartbreaking book. Fournier recalls the life he imagined having with his sons—but his boys will never really grow up, and he mourns the loss of every memory he thought he’d have.

Though a devoted father, he does not shy away from exploring the limits of his love, the countless times he is filled with frustration and disappointment with no relief in sight. Mathieu and Thomas can barely communicate, and each in turn repeats learned phrases, such as “Where we going, Daddy?” (a favorite in the car) in what feels to

Fournier to be an eternal loop.

In WhereWe Going, Daddy? Fournier reveals everything, and that is perhaps his most remarkable quality. He does not hide behind a mask of cliché, but gives voice to the darkness that comes with disability, and the rare moments of light. Through short, powerful vignettes Jean-Louis manages his grief with cynicism and humor. For parents of disabled children, this book will offer some relief from the courage they must garner every day, a chance to let down their guard, laugh at themselves, and embrace even the ugly emotions they feel. For the rest of us, it’s an unsettling and heartfelt glimpse into an otherwise unimaginable life.

讓-路易•傅尼葉（Jean-Louis Fournier）

大學時修習古典文學，本應成為嚴肅學者的他，後來卻成瞭法國知名作傢及電視劇編導。他曾獲得多項國際藝術電影大奬，從一九九二年起，傅尼葉開始文字創作，作品逾二十部，包含散文、小說、劇本，他幽默詼諧的筆法，令眾多法國讀者為之著迷。

雖然經常受邀上媒體談論作品，但關於自己的兩個孩子，一直是傅尼葉避言談起的話題。直到他七十歲，也就是二〇〇八年，他纔齣版《爸爸，我們去哪兒？》，首度寫齣身為兩個殘障兒父親的心聲。他說：“過去不提，不是因為怕丟臉、怕被人用異樣眼光看待，而是無法麵對說瞭之後難以承受的痛楚。”

《爸爸，我們去哪兒？》一齣版，立即在法國引起熱烈的迴響，在銷售量和排行榜上都創下耀眼的佳績。傅尼葉的句句文字撫慰瞭許多讀者，不僅僅隻是同為殘障兒的父母，更告訴大傢即使有再痛苦的遭遇，還是能夠有勇氣地笑著活下去。有評論傢說：或許上帝不曾善待傅尼葉的孩子，但這部作品之於傅尼葉，甚至所有的讀者，都是我們麵對生命睏境時最好的禮物。