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NOVELS about sport are notoriously hard to pull off. It seems somewhat odd for a literary mind to care how often a ball makes it to the back of the net or how long it takes to sprint down a track. Yet that need not be so. The classic quest narrative-in which an individual overcomes obstacles to achieve a goal-could be a template for any single match or sporting career. "Gold", Chris Cleave's third novel, is a skilful demonstration of the form.
寫一部關于體育運動的小說，顯然是有難度的。讓文學去關注一粒球怎樣入網，沖刺終點需要多長時間，看起來多少有點奇怪。然而，事實也不盡然。古典文學所追求的敘述方式往往是一個從克服障礙到實現目標的過程。這其實和任何一場單獨的比賽或者體育項目的邏輯是一致的?！冻嘧又摹?-克里夫的第三本小說，正是這種敘述方式的巧妙呈現。
This is the story of Zoe, Kate and Jack, three obsessive race cyclists who meet as young hopefuls. There is bike geekery and Lycra aplenty. As the title suggests, Mr Cleave even dares to set his story around the Olympics, the ultimate sporting circus. Yet this is no niche book for aficionados looking for a brief summer distraction.
書中講述了三個人的故事：若伊、凱特和杰克--三個狂熱的自行車車手，年輕有為，志同道合。故事里有高水準的自行車"極客"。正如題目所暗示的，克里夫甚至刻意讓故事游離在奧運會--那終極的競技場的邊緣。但是，此書也絕對不是為了在炎夏給體育迷們提供一份短暫的消遣。
Instead, cycling is the backdrop for a deeper exploration of the struggle between the physical and the psychological. Into the love triangle and professional exertions Mr Cleave throws eight-year-old Sophie, diagnosed with leukaemia only days before the Olympics and fighting a different type of battle to the finish.
相反，自行車運動化為了背景。小說在這背景上深入探討了靈與肉的掙扎。除了三角戀、職業上的進取，克里夫還講述了蘇菲的故事：一個年僅8歲的孩子，在奧林匹克運動會開幕前被診斷出白血病，在生命的盡頭處，打了一場特殊的生死之戰。
At times the book seems slightly sentimental. Sophie and Kate are a little too good to be true; Zoe a bit too deranged and calculating. Yet "Gold" works as a novel because Mr Cleave manages to make the reader care about what it takes to win-or even to take part.
書中，有些地方的行文會略顯情緒化。蘇菲和凱特美好得不真實；若伊則又太神經兮兮且斤斤計較。然而，《赤子之心》之成其為小說，在于克里夫將讀者的關注點，引向奪冠前的征程，或者說整個參賽的過程，和奪冠與否無關。
The small details speak loudly. As the story opens, Zoe stands terrified as 5,000 people chant her name-yet she is equally frightened that one day they may stop. On another occasion she lingers and stares at Kate's bike before a race and implants the idea that something could be wrong; she wins the mental advantage, and the quicker start. By such tiny glances and irrecoverable moments lives are changed, a lesson that reaches beyond sport. The moment of winning a gold medal, by contrast, can almost seem disappointing.
小細節里有大蘊義。譬如小說開場，5000名觀眾反復喊著若伊的名字，這讓站在臺上的她緊張極了；然而若有一天人們不再這么做，她同樣會害怕。另外一個場景，在一場比賽開始前，若伊故意徘徊著，盯住凱特的自行車，讓對方覺得自己的車子出了毛病。于是她贏得了心理上的優勢，在起點上搶占了先機。但是這種伎倆和自私的光景被某種高于體育的精神改變了。相形之下，奪取金牌的時刻，幾乎讓人沮喪。
Mr Cleave knows what makes a good story. Here, his concern is not with macho physicality or crossing a line, but with the endless and enduring human endeavours: love, death and what is left when hopes and dreams are crushed or fulfilled. A book to savour long after the Olympic games are over.
克里夫懂得如何把故事講得精彩。在書中，他關心的不是體魄的強壯或某一次的勝利，而是無休止的人類的奮斗：愛情，死亡，以及在希望和夢想或破滅或兌現之后，我們的人生還剩下些什么。這樣一本書，適合奧林匹克運動會結束后細細品味。
