从房间走向世界——Room 房间 Room

　　爱玛·多诺霍(Emma Donoghue)是英语文坛的新锐作家。她1969年出生于爱尔兰的都柏林，曾经先后求学于都柏林大学和英国剑桥大学，1997年获得英语文学博士学位，2004年加入加拿大国籍。迄今为止，多诺霍已经出版了多部长篇小说，代表作有《头巾》(Hood)、《生者面具》(Life Mask)、《着陆》(Landing)、《封口信》(The Sealed Letter)、《房间》(Room)等。其中，最为著名的是《房间》这部小说。该小说曾获得美国图书馆协会授予的阿历克斯奖，并入选2010年度《纽约时报》十大好书。
　　Excerpts1)
　　Lunch is bean salad, my second worst favorite. After nap we do Scream every day but not Saturdays or Sundays. We clear our throats and climb up on Table to be nearer Skylight, holding hands not to fall. We say “On your mark, get set, go,” then we open wide our teeth and shout holler2) howl yowl shriek screech scream the loudest possible. Today I’m the most loudest ever because my lungs are stretching from being five.
　　Then we shush3) with fingers on lips. I asked Ma once what we’re listening for and she said just in case, you never know.
　　Then I do rubbings4) of a fork and Comb and jar lids and the sides of my jeans. Ruled paper is smoothest for rubbings, but toilet paper is good for a drawing that goes on forever, like today I do me with a cat and a parrot and an iguana5) and a raccoon6) and Santa and an ant and Lucky7) and all my TV friends in a procession and I’m King Jack. When I’m all done I roll it again so we can use it for our butts. I take a fresh bit from the next roll for a letter to Dora8). I have to sharpen the red pencil with Smooth Knife. I squeeze the pencil hard because it’s so short it’s nearly gone. I write perfectly only sometimes my letters go back to front. I am five the day before yesterday, you can have the last bit of cake but there is no candles, bye love Jack. It only tears a little on the of. “When will she get it?”
　　“Well,” says Ma, “I’d imagine it’ll take a few hours to reach the sea, then it’ll wash up on a beach ...”
　　She sounds funny from sucking an ice cube for Bad Tooth. Beaches and sea are TV but I think when we send a letter it turns them real for a bit. The poos9) sink and the letters float on the waves. “Who’ll find it? Diego10)?”
　　“Probably. And he’ll take it to his cousin Dora—”
　　“In his safari11) jeep. Zoom zoom through the jungle.”
　　“So tomorrow morning, I’d say. Lunchtime at the latest.”
　　The ice cube is making less bulge12) in Ma’s face now. “Let’s see?”
　　She puts it out on her tongue.
　　“I think I have a bad tooth too.”
　　Ma wails, “Oh, Jack.”
　　“Really real for real. Ow, ow, ow.”
　　Her face changes. “You can suck an ice cube if you want; you don’t have to have a toothache.”
　　“Cool.”