无法安慰 (1995)

《无可慰藉》（英语：The Unconsoled），亦翻译作《无可抚慰》，是诺贝尔文学奖得主石黑一雄的小说，1995年由费伯出版社发行，并赢得了该年度的契尔特纳姆文学奖。小说讲述一名年轻的钢琴家来到一个平静的中欧小镇表演，在这个小镇的三天期间发生的故事。本书常被认为是石黑一雄最好的作品之一。

情节梗概

主要以国际知名钢琴家莱德的第一人称视角叙述。他抵达一座不具名的中欧城市，准备在周四夜晚举行一场具有“改变整个城市文化命运”意义的重要演奏会。当地人对这场音乐会寄予厚望，视为重振艺术与精神的希望。尽管莱德本来应有紧密的行程安排，但他发现自己不断被各种莫名其妙的任务打断。

行李员古斯塔夫请莱德与他的女儿苏菲谈话，以解决多年来的家庭问题。而莱德在过程中发现自己与苏菲及其儿子波里斯，似乎有某种模糊的过去与情感牵连。饭店经理的儿子史蒂芬则希望莱德能指点他的演奏，并借由周四之夜的演出缓解他与父母间尴尬的关系。此外莱德也被牵扯到酗酒的指挥家布洛斯基与柯林斯小姐的失和关系中。

小说场景常常无预警地转换地点或视角。例如莱德明明刚刚在饭店大厅，下一刻却出现在郊区的某个家庭聚会中；又或者他与一位多年不见的熟人对话，对方却说他们昨天才刚见面。时间在这部小说中失去了线性逻辑，像是梦境一般断裂与重组。

随着剧情发展，莱德开始怀疑自己的记忆与判断。他逐渐意识到，自己与许多事件或人物其实有着更深的联系，但他却无法清楚地厘清。整个城市仿佛将他视为一位救世主，但他不断错过关键时刻，或陷入与人的情感纠结。最终，演奏会仍未举行，莱德在一片混沌与焦虑中结束了这趟旅程。

The Unconsoled is a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, first published in 1995 by Faber and Faber, and winner of the Cheltenham Prize that year.

Summary

Ryder, an English pianist, arrives by invitation to an unspecified European city. At his hotel, he is greeted by Hilde Stratmann of the city arts council, who alludes to his fully booked schedule over the coming days to meet with the eager and admiring public, leading up to a highly anticipated "Thursday night". Ryder considers admitting to not remembering the schedule, but instead feigns knowledge.

With no time to rest, Ryder is accosted by a procession of locals who politely, yet insistently, beg him to fulfill personal requests. Gustav, an old porter at the hotel who is not on speaking terms with his daughter, Sophie, asks Ryder to intervene to resolve her private worries for the sake of Sophie's young son, Boris. Despite meeting Sophie and Boris for the first time, when around them, Ryder remembers himself as being Boris's established stepfather, indignantly shielding Boris when others impose adult responsibilities upon the boy. Likewise, he and Sophie treat each other as long-term partners, confiding over Sophie's struggle to house-hunt for the three of them, and bickering over Ryder's frequent travel obligations and absences. Throughout the city, Ryder also recognizes, improbably, various people, places and objects from his childhood in England.

The locals expect Ryder to deliver a recital and a lecture to address their ongoing cultural crisis, precipitated when Christoff, a once-fêted celebrity cellist, fell from favor. The city has laid its hopes for an arts revival on the shoulders of Brodsky, a disgraced, inactive conductor and an alcoholic, who will conduct an orchestral concert on Thursday night after undergoing rehabilitation. Hoffman, the hotel's manager, is personally overseeing Brodsky's rehearsal, pledging that Thursday night's proceedings will be impeccable. However, because Brodsky yearns for the company of his estranged ex-wife, Miss Collins, the concert planners privately beseech her to reconcile with him, despite her misgivings.

Over days, Ryder is ushered from place to place, accidentally arriving for appointments never made, while missing appointments that Stratmann explicitly arranged. At the same time, he promises to advocate for Gustav and his fraternity of fellow hotel porters in his address. Ryder also evaluates the piano skill of Stephan, the Hoffmans' son, endorsing his plan to perform a difficult piece on Thursday night. Believing that being noncommittal to piano studies caused his parents' marriage to break down, Stephan hopes to redeem himself, despite learning too late that his mother dislikes his chosen piece. Amidst all this, Ryder is surprised by the reminder that his elderly parents, who require caretakers, will arrive for a stay in the city. As Thursday night approaches, Ryder struggles to compose his address, practice for his recital, and confirm his parents' arrival and accommodation.

Ryder is further delayed when Gustav suddenly falls to ill health, while Brodsky, after his persistent overtures to Collins prove futile, relapses to drink with Hoffman's approval, and crashes his bicycle. Ryder chaperones Sophie and Boris to Gustav, then impatiently leaves them. A doctor performs an emergency amputation of Brodsky's leg, not noticing that it was a prosthetic all along. At the concert hall, even though his parents cannot bear to watch his performance, Stephan perseveres in his recital and is applauded. Brodsky, comically using an ironing board as a crutch, conducts the orchestra while drunk, one-legged and bleeding, humiliating himself and being publicly spurned by Collins. Hoffman, likewise chastened by his own failure, grovels before his unsympathetic wife. Stephan, gaining newfound confidence, plans to seek his fortunes outside the city.