Behold the Dreamers

　　美好的移民之夢，為何會被一場突如其來的金融海嘯破壞得體無完膚？他們還有屬於自己的光明未來嗎？

　　Jende Jonga，一位住在紐約哈林區的喀麥隆移民，在美國為自己及妻兒尋找屬於自己的美好天地。2007 年秋天，他發現自己竟找到一份十分優渥的工作：雷曼兄弟投資銀行高官愛德華茲的私人司機。愛德華茲要求 Jende 準時、謹慎且必須忠誠，而 Jende 也急於討好他的雇主。愛德華茲的妻子甚至還提供 Jende 妻子在漢普敦避暑別墅的臨時工作。

　　有了愛德華茲提供的機會，Jende 及妻子認為他們可以在美國站穩腳跟，甚至開始夢想他們的光明未來。

　　然而不久後，被巨大特權所掩飾的秘密很快就露出馬腳。Jende 發現雇主愛德華茲光鮮亮麗的外表下，其實有不為人知的隱晦。而隨後更發生了雷曼兄弟倒閉這件震驚全球的金融海嘯事件，Jende 一家極力想保住他們的工作，他們的婚姻甚至因此面臨土崩瓦解的困境。

　　所有人的生活都被大大地顛覆了，Jende 與妻子被迫做出一個不可能的選擇……。（文／博客來編譯）

　　"A compulsively readable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream—the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy
 
　　Named one of BuzzFeed’s “Incredible New Books You Need to Read This Summer”
 
　　Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty—and Jende is eager to please. Clark’s wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses’ summer home in the Hamptons. With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future.
 
　　However, the world of great power and privilege conceals troubling secrets, and soon Jende and Neni notice cracks in their employers’ façades.
 
　　When the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Jongas are desperate to keep Jende’s job—even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. As all four lives are dramatically upended, Jende and Neni are forced to make an impossible choice.

Advance praise for Behold the Dreamers
 
　　“Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It’s our good luck that she and her stories are American.”—Jonathan Franzen, National Book Award-winning author of Purity and Freedom

　　“Dazzling, fast-paced, and exquisitely written, Behold the Dreamers is one of those rare novels that will change the way you see the world. Imbolo Mbue is a breathtaking talent.”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
 
　　“Who is this Imbolo Mbue and where has she been hiding? Her writing is startlingly beautiful, thoughtful, and both timely and timeless. She’s taking on everything from family to the Great Recession to immigration while deftly reminding us what it means to truly believe in ‘the American dream.’”—Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award–winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming and Another Brooklyn
 
　　“It’s rare that a book is so fascinating, so emotionally compelling, and so beautiful that I literally can’t put it down. I picked Behold the Dreamers up one evening before bed. I turned the last page at dawn. It ruined the next day for me—I wasn’t much good for anything but a nap—but it was worth every lost hour.”—Ayelet Waldman, New York Times bestselling author of Love and Treasure
 
　　“A beautiful book about one African couple starting a new life in a new land, Behold the Dreamers will teach you as much about the promise and pitfalls of life in the United States as about the immigrants who come here in search of the so-called American dream.”—Sonia Nazario, author of Enrique’s Journey and winner of the Pulitzer Prize

　　“Among the spate of novels forged in the crucible of the previous decade, Mbue’s impressive debut deserves a singular place. . . . Realistic, tragic, and still remarkably kind to all its characters, this is a special book.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

作者簡介

　　Imbolo Mbue is a native of Limbe, Cameroon. She holds a B.S. from Rutgers University and an M.A. from Columbia University. A resident of the United States for over a decade, she lives in New York City.