To Rise Again at a Decent Hour

　　保羅是個充滿矛盾的男人，他熱愛這個世界，但卻不懂如何生活；他反對科技革命，但他卻沉迷於iPhone；他同時是位牙醫，但他卻是個老菸槍。他熱愛波士頓紅襪隊，同時也是無神論者，但他卻無法拋棄對上帝的信仰。

　　這位矛盾於一身的男人，有一天在網路上看到了駭人的景像，竟然有人在臉書上仿冒他，甚至還用他的名字建立了推特的帳號，一開始保羅因為自己隱私被冒犯大感震怒，漸漸地他開始反省自己，保羅不得不承認，這個在網路上的「保羅」，比現實中的他本人更好。當他決定調查這位山寨保羅究竟是何人時，他也得面對過去種種不堪的回憶，而虛擬網路世界和現實生活的界線又該如何分開？

　　在這本幽默睿智的現實小說中，反映了現代人的疏離與矛盾，而當我們迷失於網路中，又該如何找回生活的意義？（文／博客來編譯）

　　A big, brilliant, profoundly observed novel about the mysteries of modern life by National Book Award Finalist Joshua Ferris, one of the most exciting voices of his generation

　　Paul O'Rourke is a man made of contradictions: he loves the world, but doesn't know how to live in it. He's a Luddite addicted to his iPhone, a dentist with a nicotine habit, a rabid Red Sox fan devastated by their victories, and an atheist not quite willing to let go of God.

　　Then someone begins to impersonate Paul online, and he watches in horror as a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account are created in his name. What begins as an outrageous violation of his privacy soon becomes something more soul-frightening: the possibility that the online "Paul" might be a better version of the real thing. As Paul's quest to learn why his identity has been stolen deepens, he is forced to confront his troubled past and his uncertain future in a life disturbingly split between the real and the virtual.

　　At once laugh-out-loud funny about the absurdities of the modern world, and indelibly profound about the eternal questions of the meaning of life, love and truth, TO RISE AGAIN AT A DECENT HOUR is a deeply moving and constantly surprising tour de force.