This is a translation of an English novel called Mad Shadows.
This is a thin book, but I was so shocked that I broke into a cold sweat when I first read it 3 years ago. I have always wanted to translate it into Chinese, but now I finally made the decision.
If I had to use something to describe this story, the first word would probably be perverted.
A crazy woman has a beautiful but idiot son, and an ugly and twisted daughter.
This woman dedicated all her youth and life to her son, just for his beauty. When one day, the extremely jealous daughter finally pushed her brother's face into the hot oil pan, the woman screamed and ran away, never wanting to look at the thing that was once her most beloved.
No one in the whole story achieved happiness. None of them deserve happiness. They were struggling strangely in life, so they distorted their own lives.
The ugly daughter marries a handsome blind man and tells him that she is as beautiful as a goddess. But when the man's eyes regain sight, what is left for her?
The only thing the idiot beautiful boy loves is his peerless appearance. After realizing life in the lunatic asylum, he finally saw his ruined face beside the water where he played in his childhood. So, he submerged himself into the blue lake without hesitation.
The author of the novel, Marie-Claire Blais, was only 20 years old when she completed the book. Unfortunately, there seems to be very little introduction to this book outside of Canada. I hope that translating this story does not infringe the copyright |||-_-