ちょっと気分転換（２）

気分転換に次の英文を読んでみませんか？

さて､下記の文章は日本でも有名なPatricia Cornwellの小説からの引用です。彼女のシリーズ作の一つ､The Last Precinct の中の一文です。

前作Black Notice の最後で狼男みたいなChandonneに襲われて殺されそうになった主人公、検死官のScarpettaがぎりぎり難を逃れたところから始まります。とりあえず現場検証が終わりScarpettaを友人の家に送る旧知の刑事マリーノとの車中でのやり取りです。どこに向けていいかわらない怒りを胸に、二人の会話はそれをぶつけ合うものになります。ちょうど200ワードくらいです。1分以内で読めるスピードで読んでみましょう。

"Damn good thing you're going where you are," he says. "Exactly what the doctor ordered, in more ways than one." "I'm not staying with Anna because it's what the doctor ordered," I reply testily. "I am staying with her because she's my friend." "Look, you're a victim and you got to deal with it, and you need help dealing with it. Don't matter you're a doctor-lawyer-Indian chief.". Marino will not shut up, in part because he is looking for a fight. He wants a focus for his anger. I can see what is coming, and anger crawls up my neck and heats up the roots of my hair. "Being a victim's the great equalizer," Marino, the world's authority goes on. I draw out the words slowly. " I'm not a victim." My voice wavers around its edges like fire. "There's a difference between being victimized and being a victim. I am not a sideshow for character disorders. " My tone sears. " I haven't become what he wanted to turn me into" - of course, I mean Chandonne - "even if he'd had his way, I wouldn't be what he tried to project onto me. I would just be dead. Not changed. Not something less than I am. Just dead."

中・上級者の人であればそれほど難しい単語は無いはずです。分からない単語があったとしてもそれはキーワードではありません。

車内でのいらだった会話の状況が映画を見るように浮かんできたでしょうか？浮かんでこないとしたら、それは語彙力とかとは別の語感の問題です。また、後ほど触れます。