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''Other People'' is a novel by British writer Martin Amis, published in 1981. ==Plot== Mary, an amnesiac young woman, wakes in a hospital and cannot remember who she is, what has happened to her, or even simple things such as how to blow her nose or what clouds are. She leaves the hospital and takes the name "Mary Lamb" after overhearing a nursery rhyme. Mary befriends a woman named Sharon, an alcoholic who seems well-meaning to the naïve Mary until she prostitutes her for money. After enduring painful sex, Mary smashes the man's mouth in once he passes out. She flees, coming into contact with a policeman named Prince, who knows about Mary's past. Mary lives for a while with Sharon's parents, also alcoholics, but eventually she moves into a shelter for "fallen women." She receives a letter from Prince that includes a newspaper clipping concerning her before she lost her memory. Mary learns that her real name is Amy Hide and that her past was quite dark, a fact which causes Mary a great deal of distress. During her stay at the shelter, she gets a job as a waitress in a seedy café. With one exception, all of the male employees sexually harass her, but she does not understand the significance of their actions. The exception is Alan, a meek and highly insecure man who is deeply infatuated with Mary but does nothing to ward off the attentions of others. Mary meets Prince again, and she learns that Amy had asked someone to kill her. According to Prince, the failed killing was what had caused her amnesia. The man who did it is behind bars but due to be released. When Alan and another coworker, the cocksure but illiterate Russ, find out where Mary lives, they are appalled and ask her to join them at their squat. Alan appears tortured by her presence and by the continued kisses and fondling she receives from other men, particularly Russ. To comfort him, Mary begins sleeping with Alan. This does not seem pleasant for either of them, and after a while Mary decides to break their relationship off. In response, Alan hangs himself. Mary goes to see a man named Michael, whom she finds out she had dated before she lost her memory. Pretending to be Amy's cousin, she asks Michael about the things that Amy did to him. Amy, according to him, was abusive, vindictive, and unfaithful. She is escorted out of Michael's office by his assistant, Jamie, who takes pity on the shabby-looking Mary and invites her to live with him. Jamie is extremely wealthy, and he squanders his wealth largely on drugs and alcohol. Mary becomes infatuated with Jamie and is crushed when he does not return her affection. The two eventually begin a sexual relationship, but it is clear that Jamie does not return Mary's love. After their relationship ends, Mary moves in with Prince and begins going by Amy. They slowly develop a relationship, one that is deeper than any other that Amy has experienced in the course of the novel. One night, Prince informs Amy that her would-be killer has been released, and that she must confront him. It is never directly revealed who the killer is, although it is implied to be Prince. The confrontation scene ends ambiguously—it is unclear if Mary is finally killed. The next scene recalls the opening lines of the novel, but it is not certain whether this is a recapitulation, an event that happened in Mary's past, or what occurred after the confrontation scene. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Other People」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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