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2011 Rainbow Literary Award for Best Contemporary Fiction

In the four years since being forced off the professional tour for being gay, Daniel Bottega has taught tennis at a second-rate country club. He found a sanctuary to hide from an unkind world, while his lover, Jared Stoderling, fought a losing battle with alcohol addiction to cope with his disappointment of not playing on the pro circuit. Now Daniel has another chance at the tour by coaching tennis prodigy Connor Lin to a Grand Slam championship win. He shares his chance with Jared by convincing him to return to the pro circuit as Connor's doubles partner. Competing on the world tour is challenging enough, but Daniel and Jared also face major media attention, political fallout from the pro association, and a shocking amount of hate that threatens Connor's career in tennis, Jared's love for Daniel, and Daniel's very life.

Chinese (Traditional)

2011 Rainbow Literary Award for Best Contemporary Fiction

丹尼爾‧波特卡(Daniel Bottega)及嘉瑞德‧斯多得霖(Jared Stoderling)是一對自年輕時就形影不離的同性戀人。丹尼爾原本在網壇上有很好的發展性,但是為了愛,寧可離開網壇。

因為其同性戀的身分而被職業網球公開賽除名後的四年間,丹尼爾‧波特卡(Daniel Bottega)在二流的鄉村俱樂部教人打網球。他找到了一個遠離殘酷世界的避難所,但他的情人,嘉瑞德‧斯多得霖,卻為了撫平不能在公開錦標賽中出席而沉溺於酒精中。

兩人的關係是現實的,有高潮也有低潮。當面臨低潮時,愛情到嚴苛的考驗,尤其是丹尼爾在見到嘉瑞德一趹不振時,一顆心如受刀割。

當丹尼爾因為訓練網球神童林克諾(Connor Lin)贏得大滿貫冠軍賽,人生出現了轉機,他第一個就想到嘉瑞德。為了拉意志消沉的情人一把,提供他重新在網壇發光發熱的機會,丹尼爾試圖說服嘉瑞德以林克諾雙打夥伴的身分重回公開的錦標賽。

參加世界級的巡迴賽事本身就是一個重大的挑戰,丹尼爾和嘉瑞德同時還要面對媒體的關注,網球協會的傾壓餘波,足以威脅林克諾職業網球手生涯的巨大仇恨力量,嘉瑞德對丹尼爾的愛。

如果奧斯卡金獎導演朗霍華(Ron Howard)與義大利電影與歌劇導演法蘭高·齊費里尼(Franco Zeffirelli)聯手創造一個作品的話,那麼就會你現在正在閱讀的這個作品--融合朗霍華的辛酸/情感層面與齊費里尼的奢華調性,佐以一絲異國風情的調味。

不要因本書的書名或專業的網球設定而卻步,即使對網球全然無知或者毫無愛好,透過作者細膩的筆觸感受到網球世界中追求勝利的激動與失敗的痛苦。

同時,主角具備了非常人性的層面。在丹尼爾的眼中,美麗的東西就是美麗,即使是以其他男人的型態出現。丹尼爾享受他人的碰觸與目光所帶給他的愉悅感,但他對嘉瑞德的愛卻從未動搖。

丹尼爾的情感很人性,很柔軟,也很堅貞,如詩亦如歌般美麗與綿密。

故事的結局,比賽開始了。

當讀過整個故事,再回過頭來審室這句簡單的話語,飽滿而充滿張力的喜悅將讓人為之動容。

English

Alan Chin
born in Ogden, Utah, where he was christened, Alan Lewis Hurlburt.
In 1991, while still working full time, Alan went back to night school and years later graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BS in Economics and a Masters in Creative Writing. In 1999, Alan retired from his career in Information Technology to devote more time to his three hobbies: writing, traveling, and tennis. Alan turned serious about his writing in 2003, and began working on his first novel, Island Song. He has now published one novel with Zumaya Publications - The Lonely War (2009). He has Published three novels with Dreamspinner Press - Island Song (2011), Match Maker (2010), and Butterfly's Child (2010), and is currenly searching for a producer to turn his two lgbt-themed screenplays into movies.

Chinese (Traditional)

亞倫‧金Alan Chin
生於猶他州,長於加州。高中畢業後曾入海軍服役四年。除役後進入舊金山州立大學夜校就讀,專精於數據處理。畢業後,曾擔任過電腦程式設計師、軟體工程師、網站設計師,最後成為軟體發展組織管理者。1991年重新回到夜校,取得經濟學學士及創意寫作碩士學位。1999年退休後,投身於個人的三大嗜好中:寫作、旅行與網球,同時也合法更名為亞倫‧金,與其摯愛的伴侶赫曼‧金擁有相同的家族姓氏。2003年開始對寫作的態度更趨堅定,出版過小說作品也撰寫過劇本。現今其每年有半年的時間居住於加州寫作,剩下的半年則與他的丈夫赫曼,一起環遊世界。

English

Review:

The revelation that they were a gay couple forced Daniel Bottega and Jared Stoderling off the professional tennis circuit four years earlier. In the interim, Daniel was marking time as the tennis pro at a quiet country club in San Francisco, while Jared pretty much crawled into a liquor bottle to drown his crushed dreams. When Daniel is approached to train Connor Lin, a promising young prodigy whose tennis game needs focus, he decides to gets Jared involved as well. Besides getting Jared off drinking, it reawakens both of their spirits of competition. Jared goes from just helping Connor workout to being his doubles partner, and both begin to move up the ranks on their singles tournaments.

When the press covering one of the midlevel tournaments gets tipped off about Daniel and Jared's relationship, it results in rumors that Connor is gay as well (He isn't), and the trio experience bias from homophobic judges as well as receiving threats of violence. Determined not to quit again, they continue to compete, supported by good friends and Connor's second generation Chinese-American family. As if the pressure of competition and the homophobia wasn't enough to deal with, all three suffer physical and emotional obstacles that threaten to shatter their dreams.

In a word ... Wow! After reading his previous two novels, I expect outstanding writing from Mr. Chin, but this raises the bar far above any expectations I had. The story will remind you a bit of the gay classic "The Front Runner" in its intensity and "we VS them" conflicts, but I believe the story and characters are even more realistic and relatable here. It's the rare novel you may want to read numerous times, and is a great gift for anyone facing adversity. Beautifully and skillfully done, I give it five match point stars out of five. Bravo!

- Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

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